Elon Musk has been invited to give evidence to MPs expected about his expected takeover of social media giant Twitter.
Conservative MP Julian Knight called for the billionaire entrepreneur to discuss his plans for the site at a parliamentary committee meeting and "address any critiques in public".
The chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee, Mr Knight added they were keen to learn more about verification plans for all users on the platforms.
The Tesla CEO agreed to a £34.5 billion takeover deal with the Twitter board in April, which is expected to be completed later this year.
He said at the time of the deal that he was looking forward to “enhancing the product with new features”.
Mr Musk has since suggested he was considering introducing a fee for commercial users on the social media platform.
"Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users," he said in a tweet.
In a letter to the entrepreneur, Mr Knight said the committee supported Mr Musk’s proposals to remove all spam accounts and automated bots from the platform.
“My committee has noted your proposed acquisition of Twitter and we are interested in the developments you propose. In particular, your intention to roll out verification for all users echoes our calls on the UK Government as part of proposed legislation, which we hope will restore the UK public’s trust in digital platforms,” he wrote.
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“I therefore wish to take this opportunity to invite you to speak before our committee and discuss your proposals in more depth.
“I know you have expressed your wish that critics remain on Twitter and this may present an opportunity to address any critiques in public.”
After some users of the platform raised concerns that Mr Musk’s support of absolute free speech could mean a loosening of content restrictions, Mr Knight added the committee want to hear how the Tesla chief would balance free speech and protecting users from "online harms".
He added: “Appearing before the committee will give Mr Musk an ideal opportunity to set out his proposals for Twitter in more depth and we would look forward to welcoming him."
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