Scottish Government halts all advertising spending on Twitter following Elon Musk takeover

EXCLUSIVE: The drop-off in ad spending comes amid a long-running row between Musk and former first minister Humza Yousaf.

The Scottish Government has halted all advertising spending on Twitter following its takeover by Elon Musk.

Online adverts are a key way for ministers to promote important policies such as public health campaigns. But civil servants last bought advertising space on Twitter, since renamed X, in March 2023 - the same month Humza Yousaf became First Minister.

A total of £377,704 was spent in 2022 by the Government on ads in comparison.

The drop-off in spending comes amid a long-running row between Musk and the former SNP leader.

Yousaf branded the tech billionaire "one of the most dangerous men on the planet" following remarks made by Musk in relation to rioting in some English towns and cities in August.

The businessman and the former SNP leader have clashed several times after Musk called the then first minister a "blatant racist" over a 2020 speech in which he pointed out that all senior positions in Scotland are held by white people.

Musk also criticised the Scottish Government's Hate Crime Act which came into force earlier this year.

The row ignited again last month when Yousaf tore into the Twitter ownerd during in an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The SNP MSP was referring to comments made by Musk when he claimed "civil war is inevitable" following a string of riots in England in the wake of the Southport murders.

Musk shot back at Yousaf, saying: "He is super, super racist. Scotland gave him everything and yet he loathes white people.

"This is obvious, because he has never complained about the race of any other country's leadership. Why is he only attacking Scotland?"

Yousaf replied: "The latest nonsense from Musk is a further example of his propensity for spouting white supremacist, far-right conspiracies - and only confirms my point that he is one of the world's most dangerous men.

Twitter has suffered a huge drop in user numbers since Musk took control two years ago in a deal reportedly worth $44 billion.

The takeover proved controversial as the billionaire proceeded to cut 75 per cent of the tech firm's employees, including teams charged with tracking abuse and changed how the company verifies authentic accounts.

Musk previously bemoaned the fact Twitter faced a negative cash flow as a result of a 50 per cent drop in advertising revenue.

The platform also faces competition from Threads - a new social media offering from Meta that hopes to capitalise on Twitter's recent woes.

The Scottish Government insisted its decision to not buy advertising on X was due to other more effective options being used.

A spokeswoman said: "Effective communication enables the Scottish Government to increase public awareness and encourage uptake of key policies, with social media platforms used where appropriate to target particular audiences.

"All media platforms are considered, with the most effective options being chosen."

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