X acting to comply with UK law, says Keir Starmer

Social media platform X is “acting to ensure full compliance with UK law”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said.

The comments follow significant concerns about the platform’s AI tool, Grok, producing sexualised images of women and children.

Media regulator Ofcom launched an investigation earlier this week into the reports.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer said use of Grok to produce such images was “disgusting”.

He added: “To update the House, I have been informed this morning that X is acting to ensure full compliance with UK law. 

“If so, that is welcome, but we're not going to back down, and they must act. We will take the necessary measures. We will strengthen existing laws and prepare for legislation if it needs to go further, and Ofcom will continue its independent investigation.”

If the law is found to have been broken, Ofcom could issue a fine of up to 10 per cent of X’s worldwide revenue or £18m, whichever is greater.

The regulator could also seek a court order to block access to X altogether if it does not comply.

Starmer’s official spokesperson later clarified there had been no contact between the prime minister and X, but his comments reflected that there had been “some indication that X has taken action”.

The website is being investigated under the Online Safety Act and will assess the risk of people seeing illegal content, how quickly such content is being moved after being made aware of it, and whether it poses a risk to children.

A timeline for the investigation was not provided, though an Ofcom spokesperson said it was “a matter of the highest priority”.

The spokesperson said: “Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.”