Trump prepares to hit Starmer with sanctions as main row erupts | Politics | News | EUROtoday

But the transfer has sparked a livid backlash from throughout the Atlantic, with a detailed ally of President Donald Trump threatening to retaliate.

US Congresswoman, Anna Paulina Luna, cautioned the Prime Minister that she can be tabling laws within the US Congress to “sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole” in the event that they tried to ban X. She revealed the laws was already being drafted and would “mirror actions previously taken by the US in response to foreign governments restricting the platform.”

In 2024, America handed comparable laws to sanction a Brazilian choose who banned the app in South America. Ms Luna slammed any potential UK motion as “a political war against Elon Musk and free speech – nothing more.”

The incendiary menace marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between Sir Keir’s authorities and Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly clashed with the Labour Prime Minister in latest weeks. The row erupted after Labour MPs and celebration officers, together with chairwoman Anna Turley, demanded motion in opposition to X over the disturbing AI-generated photographs.

Users have reportedly been instructing Grok to sexually exploit photographs of actual individuals, together with minors, prompting requires pressing regulatory intervention. However, it’s not believed comparable motion is being thought-about in opposition to different AI instruments which might additionally manipulate photographs following person directions.

Under stress, X has begun halting some makes an attempt to create non-consensual sexual photographs, however the characteristic will nonetheless be obtainable for paying subscribers. Downing Street has condemned the transfer as woefully insufficient, with a No 10 spokesman blasting it as an insult to victims.

The spokesman advised the Daily Telegraph the change “simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.” They added: “It’s not a solution. In fact, it’s insulting to the victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so.”

On Thursday, Sir Keir mentioned Ofcom, the UK regulator, had his “full support to take action in relation to this,” including it was “unlawful.” The regulator has in depth powers to limit X’s actions in Britain, together with imposing hefty fines or blocking entry to the platform fully.

X at the moment has round 20 million customers within the United Kingdom. Several MPs have already introduced they’re quitting the platform in protest over the AI picture scandal. But the specter of US sanctions raises the stakes as soon as once more, probably triggering a significant row between Washington and Whitehall.