Amidst the heated controversy surrounding Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, for allowing the creation of sexualized images, Sir Keir Starmer has seemingly opted for a discreet boycott. The Prime Minister hasn’t posted on X since January 8, fueling speculation that he may be intentionally avoiding the platform. In contrast, Sir Keir has remained active on other social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok. The uproar was sparked by Grok, an AI tool within X, being used to generate explicit content, including material involving child sexual abuse.

In response to the scandal, X recently restricted Grok’s image generation and editing capabilities to its paying subscribers. This decision only intensified public backlash, with critics accusing Musk of profiting from abuse—a move denounced as ‘insulting to victims’ by government officials. The situation has prompted Ofcom to initiate a formal investigation into X under the Online Safety Act. Government ministers have not dismissed the possibility of banning the platform, pending the outcome of the regulator’s inquiry. On Monday, Downing Street announced it is reevaluating its presence on X, following demands from Labour MPs to deactivate official government accounts.

However, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has downplayed the likelihood of the government exiting X. Addressing the House of Commons, she emphasized the platform’s significance, noting, “With 19 million users in this country—and more than a quarter of them relying on it as their primary news source—it’s crucial that our perspectives and facts are accessible wherever possible.”

Neither Sir Keir’s official X account, nor that of No 10 Downing Street, titled ‘UK Prime Minister’ have posted on the site since last week. The last time the PM posted on X was on 8 January when he commented on Labour’s U-turn on scrapping the two-child benefit cap. A number of Sir Keir’s most recent posts have had a ‘community note’ attached, in which fellow X users have ‘added context they thought people might want to know’.

Speaking to Labour MPs in Parliament on Monday night, Sir Keir issued a warning that if X cannot control Grok then ‘we will’. Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, the PM said: ‘The actions of Grok and X are absolutely disgusting and shameful. Protecting their abusive users, rather than the women and children who are being abused shows a total distortion of priorities.’

Starmer added: ‘So let me be crystal clear, we won’t stand for it, because no matter how unstable or complex the world becomes, this Government will be guided by its values. We’ll stand up for the vulnerable against the powerful. If X cannot control Grok, we will. And we’ll do it fast because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate.’