A think tank has accused X of failing to remove posts flagged as hate, abuse or harassment involving racial abuse of prominent UK politicians. In May 2026, researchers at British Future identified 30 posts in which Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was targeted with a racial slur. The team submitted each case through the platform’s dedicated reporting channel for hate, abuse or harassment, yet X took no action in most instances despite follow-up requests. Reports indicate that X typically acts only when content is reported as illegal under the UK Online Safety Act, limiting visibility inside the country while leaving material accessible elsewhere. Researcher Avaes Mohammad noted that many users report racist material under the general hate category, but the platform appears to respond mainly when posts are explicitly labelled illegal. British Future stated that X eventually restricted visibility for just two of the 30 posts after the organisation’s director contacted the company directly. The issue arises as scrutiny continues over X’s handling of extremist content since 2022. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently criticised owner Elon Musk for posts linked to a recent murder case. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to remove illegal material, including offences involving racial hostility. On 15 May, the same day X pledged to act on illegal content within 48 hours, British Future reported 33 additional posts using another racial slur against UK public figures. Targets included Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, former SNP leader Humza Yousaf and several other politicians. None of those 33 posts were removed within the promised timeframe. After further contact, X advised using a specific illegal-content channel. The platform later restricted 20 of the posts following regulatory involvement, but left the rest visible. Additional reports submitted on 26 May showed similar patterns, with action taken only when posts were reported as illegal. No accounts responsible for the abuse were suspended. British Future argues that current practices allow repeated offenders to continue without consequence. Ofcom condemned racism in all forms and said it will conduct quarterly reviews of X’s compliance.
