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US Sends UK Bleak Warning As Starmer Mulls Over How To Punish X Over Grok

US Sends UK Bleak Warning As Starmer Mulls Over How To Punish X Over Grok

Sarah B Rogers and Keir Starmer An official from Donald Trump’s State Department has hit back at the UK as ministers weigh up banning X after the platform’s AI bot Grok began generating sexualised images of women and children. Keir Starmer has condemned the website, headed up by ex-Trump adviser Elon Musk , for allowing its built-in bot to offer the “disgusting and shameful” service. The prime minister had said “all options are on the table” when it comes to punishing the US-based platform. Speaking to GB News on Monday, the US department of state’s Sarah B Rogers threw Starmer’s own words back at him. The under-secretary of state for public diplomacy said: “I would say from America’s perspective... nothing is off the table when it comes to free speech. “Let’s wait and see what Ofcom does and we’ll see what America does in response.” Rogers has often criticised the UK and its European allies for their attempts to reduce hate speech. She also claimed the UK government wants “the ability to curate a public square, to suppress political viewpoints it dislikes”. The official alleged X has a “political valence that the British government is antagonistic to, doesn’t like, and that’s what’s really going on.” Starmer’s own spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday that the row around X is unrelated to freedom of expression. He said the UK has upheld the freedom of speech for centuries, and “will do in future too”, adding: “It’s about the generation of criminal imagery of children and women and girls that is not acceptable. We cannot stand by and let that continue. And that is why we’ve taken the action we have.” The UK’s online safety watchdog Ofcom is currently launching a probe into whether X has breached the Online Safety Act by allowing the bot to create and distribute non-consensual images – including potential child sexual abuse material. Ofcom could impose financial penalties of up to £18 million or 10% of X’s worldwide revenue. It would be able to block X from working in the UK, too. Starmer told Labour MPs at a private meeting on Monday: “If X cannot control Grok, we will – and we’ll do it fast because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate.” Starmer has not announced a boycott of X but has not posted on the platform since January 8, despite usually being an avid user of the website. In response to the backlash, X has limited image generation to paying subscribers rather than banning its capabilities altogether. Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war (formerly the secretary of defence), seemed to be aligning the States much more closely with the platform, particularly the Pentagon. He announced on Monday: “Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department. “Users will also gain access to real-time global insights from the X platform, providing War Department personnel with a decisive information advantage.” 'Keir Starmer has said that nothing is off the table. And I would say from America's perspective that likewise, nothing is off the table when it comes to free speech.' @UnderSecPD Sarah B. Rogers reacts to Labour’s threats to ban X. pic.twitter.com/7vfrpZ1glI — GB News (@GBNEWS) January 13, 2026 Related... Keir Starmer Warns Elon Musk He's Ready To Crack Down On 'Disgusting And Shameful' Grok Trump Official Goes On Furious Rant, Accusing UK Of Parroting Russia By Considering X Ban What Will It Take For The Government To Do Something About X – And Grok?