US politician threatens to ‘sanction Keir Starmer’ if he bans X in the UK

She claimed legislation is currently being drafted

This news comes after increasing concerns in the use of X's AI tool, called Grok, to generate sexualised images of people and remove clothes in photos.

Since then, Elon Musk's X has limited Grok’s AI deepfake generation to 'paying users' only after the UK threatened to ban the social media site and its AI tool.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already asked media regulator Ofcom for "all options to be on the table”.

The government is particularly concerned by the possibility it is being used to create sexualised images of children.

Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "This is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated… Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this."

"It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table."

However, this potential action has caught the eye of US Representative Anna Paulina Luna who has threatened to place sanctions on Starmer if he proceeds to ban X.

In a post on X, the congresswoman wrote: "If Starmer is successful in banning X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole.

"This would mirror actions previously taken by the United States in response to foreign governments restricting the platform, including the dispute with Brazil in 2024–2025, which resulted in tariffs, visa revocations, and sanctions and consequences tied to free speech concerns against Brazilian officials over concerns related to censorship and free-speech violations.

"Starmer should reconsider this course of action, or there will be consequences. There are always technical bugs during the early phases of new technology, especially AI, and those issues are typically addressed quickly. X treats these matters seriously and acts promptly.

"Let’s be clear: this is not about technical compliance. This is a political war against Elon Musk and free speech—nothing more."

Government sources told BBC News: "We would expect Ofcom to use all powers at its disposal in regard to Grok and X."

Now, changes have been made to the AI, making the photo editing feature limited to only paying Grok users.

According to a message displayed by the chatbot: "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers."

Users who pay for a premium X account have to attach their name and payment information, meaning people who abuse its features can be easier traced.

On Monday, Ofcom said it had made "urgent contact" with X and xAI, which built Grok, and told the BBC it was investigating concerns.

The much-talked-about Online Safety Act could be once again put into use help fight Grok and X, allowing for fines of billions of pounds or even blocking access to X in Britain.

It is currently illegal to share deepfakes of adults, external in the UK.

In an earlier statement, X said: "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."