The Taoiseach has said he has “mixed feelings” about the Twitter decision to stop hosting political advertising.

In a series of tweets last night, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said "political message reach should be earned, not bought."

"A political message earns reach when people decide to follow an account or retweet,” he wrote.

"Paying for reach removes that decision, forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people. We believe this decision should not be compromised by money.”

The move sparked calls for Facebook to follow suit – after the platform revealed it does not fact-check ads from politicians or their campaigns.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (centre) with Government ministers at the autumn display in the Botanic Gardens, Dublin, 31-10-2019. Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire/PA Images

Leo Varadkar said he has “mixed feelings” about Twitter’s decision and will not be encouraging other platforms to get on board.

“Part of what you do is advertising,” he said.

“That is how you get in touch with people and how you inform them of your policies and inform them of what is going on in the world.

“I have mixed feelings about the decision. It is one for them but I wouldn’t be encouraging anyone to follow suit.”

Mr Dorsey said internet advertising is “incredibly powerful” and while it is very effective for commercial companies “that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions.”

“This isn't about free expression,” he said. “This is about paying for reach.”

“And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today's democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle.

“It's worth stepping back in order to address.”

The ban will come into force on November 22nd.