Former Labour 'Twitter tsar' urges ministers to quit X after Grok image abuses

According to Independent.co, Kerry McCarthy, Labour’s first “Twitter tsar”, called X a “cesspit” and urged ministers and the Labour Party to leave the platform immediately after its AI tool Grok was repeatedly used to generate sexualised images of people without consent. On Monday Sir Keir Starmer issued an ultimatum to Elon Musk, saying the government would take “fast action” to deal with Grok abuses, and Ofcom has launched a formal investigation under the Online Safety Act after reviewing evidence “as a matter of urgency”.

McCarthy said both ministers and the party should quit X “at least temporarily” and called for other communication avenues so they are not reliant on the platform. Despite government criticism, several senior ministers have continued to post on X: health secretary Wes Streeting, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and home secretary Shabana Mahmood had all posted since the start of the week, while the prime minister had not posted since 8 January and the chancellor since 2 January.

Downing Street said the prime minister uses a variety of channels and that the priority is ensuring the platform follows the law, after reports of criminal imagery of children as young as 11 and sexualised images of women. Ofcom said it will determine whether X has complied with its duties and has the power to fine or ban the service; technology secretary Liz Kendall urged use of the regulator’s “full range of powers”.

Key Topics

Politics, Kerry Mccarthy, Keir Starmer, Elon Musk, Grok, Ofcom