Which notable UK figures have lost their blue ticks on Twitter?

A mass cull of blue ticks from legacy accounts began on Thursday afternoon.

General view of twitter poll result, displayed on a mobile phone (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Legacy blue ticks have been disappearing from Twitter after the social media site’s move to get more people to sign up to Twitter Blue.

Twitter Verified tweeted that legacy verified checkmarks would be removed from the site on April 20, with the main way of getting a blue tick being to sign up for Twitter Blue, with an £8 monthly fee for those based in the UK.

Here is a look at what has happened to the blue ticks once held by notable figures in the UK after the mass cull on Thursday.

– Who has lost their tick?

– The Prince and Princess of Wales

The official account for William and Kate was left without a tick on Thursday afternoon.

– Ricky Gervais

The comedian mourned the loss of his blue tick by tweeting: “My blue tick has gone. I’m not sure if I’m really me or not.”

The post was accompanied by a close-up image of Gervais.

– Richard Osman

The comedian and presenter quote-tweeted the official post from Twitter Verified about the removal of the legacy verified checkmarks after losing his, writing: “Farewell blue tick, old friend. Don’t forget, always set your feed to ‘Following’ rather than ‘For You’.

“Then you’ll keep seeing the people you actually follow, and not people who’ve paid for attention.”

– Ainsley Harriott

The chef and television presenter tweeted: “Well, farewell legacy blue tick. At least it did let people know it was my verified account so this is just to say please be careful of any fake accounts and potential scams.”

In the pinned tweet, he told people to “have a happy evening everyone – with or without your tick”.

– Jeremy Clarkson

The former Top Gear presenter – who is an active Twitter user – has also lost his blue tick.

– Matt Hancock

The former health secretary, who spent time in the Australian jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! last year, has lost his tick.

– Who has paid to keep their tick?

– Nadine Dorries

The former secretary of state who now works for Talk TV has retained her blue tick because her account is “subscribed to Twitter Blue”.

– Gary Lineker

The Match Of The Day presenter has also kept his blue tick, with his profile mentioning the account is subscribed to Twitter Blue.

– Who has a different coloured tick and what does it mean?

Some Twitter users have a grey tick next to their accounts, which highlight that it is verified because “it is a government or multilateral organisation account”.

– Boris Johnson

The former prime minister’s account had an interesting journey over Thursday evening, with his blue ticket being removed completely and then changing to a grey tick.

– Rishi Sunak

The current Prime Minister has a grey tick because of his role as a government official.

– Liz Truss

The former prime minister and current MP for South West Norfolk has a grey tick beside her Twitter username.