Payments from X
Rupert Lowe, leader of the Restore Britain party and a sitting Member of Parliament, is on course to receive from the social media platform X an amount comparable to his parliamentary salary, according to entries in the Commons register of members’ financial interests. The register shows Lowe has been paid as much as £1,476 an hour by X and has earned an average of £932 an hour for posts since the start of the year, with the declarations detailing how many hours he spent on the platform for each payment.
Content of posts and criticism
Some of the posts that have attracted payment reportedly contain calls for mass deportations, a line of commentary that has drawn criticism. Opponents and campaigners warned that the payment arrangements may create a financial incentive for provocative or inflammatory material, arguing that linking remuneration to engagement risks promoting divisive content.
Transparency and the record
The payments and the hours claimed by Lowe were disclosed by the MP himself in the register of members’ financial interests, where MPs are required to record outside earnings and activities. The entries include breakdowns of hours worked for each payment received from X, information that has allowed observers to calculate the hourly rates Lowe has been paid.
Political and ethical questions
The revelations have prompted wider questions about how social media platforms remunerate contributors and the ethical implications for elected officials receiving significant sums for political commentary online. Critics say the arrangement raises concerns about whether financial incentives could influence the tone and content of commentary by public figures, while supporters may point to the platform’s right to contract for content and reach audiences directly.
Restore Britain and Lowe have not been quoted here beyond the register entries; the figures and descriptions in this report are drawn from those public disclosures.