British newspaper group the Guardian has announced it will no longer post on X, formerly Twitter, saying it has become a “a toxic media platform”.

In a message to readers, it said the US presidential election “underlined” its concerns that its owner, Elon Musk, had been able to use X to “shape political discourse.”

Mr Musk strongly backed Donald Trump and has now been given a role cutting government spending in his incoming administration.

The BBC has contacted X for comment.

The Guardian said users would still be able to share articles and it was likely continue to embed X posts in its coverage of world events.

But it said the “benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives.”

“This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism,” it added.

X users have reacted with vitriol, with those who paid for prominent replies accusing it of “woke propaganda” and “virtue signalling”.

Mr Musk and the Guardian are far from political bed fellows – but even so its departure is likely to intensify questions about whether others will follow, as X and Mr Musk align themselves more with Donald Trump.

Its rivals already appear to be benefiting.

Meta’s Threads has continued to expand, and Bluesky, set up by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, briefly topped the download charts in the UK and US Apple App Stores on Wednesday, as users look to alternatives.

Its userbase has grown by four million in just two months, and Bluesky said in a post on Tuesday that it had picked up a million new users in the seven days since Trump’s win.

However it remains comparatively tiny, with 15 million users worldwide.