Former Labour minister tells Starmer’s government to quit X
Government should quit X over sexualised images, says former Labour minister
- Former Labour Cabinet minister Louise Haigh has urged the UK government to cease using social media platform X due to concerns over AI-generated sexualised images of children.
- The call follows reports from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) confirming the existence of "criminal imagery of children aged between 11 and 13" created using X's Grok AI tool and shared on the dark web.
- Ms Haigh stated it is "unconscionable to use the site for another minute" and called on her party and the government to remove themselves entirely from X.
- The Women and Equalities Committee has already stopped using the platform, with its chair, Sarah Owen, questioning the government's continued presence given its mission to tackle violence against women and girls.
- The Prime Minister's official spokesman described the situation as "a disgrace" and "completely unacceptable," stating that "all options remain on the table" regarding government action, including a potential boycott, and fully backing Ofcom to take enforcement action.