UK threatened with sanctions if Starmer blocks Musk's X (www.cityam.com)

The UK faces potential US sanctions if Sir Keir Starmer's government blocks Elon Musk's social media platform, X, following alarming reports that its AI tool, Grok, has been used to generate non-consensual sexual images of women and children. Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, aligned with Trump, is drafting legislation to penalize the UK for any such restrictions, framing it as an attack on free speech and Musk. The controversy has intensified scrutiny on the UK's use of X for official communications, with pressure on Downing Street to clarify its stance amid the platform's recent limitations on Grok for paid subscribers. This situation highlights the delicate balance between enforcing online safety and protecting free speech, creating friction in US-UK relations over digital governance. The Online Safety Act empowers UK's regulator, Ofcom, to impose heavy fines or potentially ban services like X, which could have far-reaching implications given that the platform has approximately 20 million users in the UK. The debate continues within the Labour Party about the appropriateness of remaining active on X, with discussions about whether to withdraw entirely from the platform in light of the troubling AI-generated content circulating online.