Welsh MP accuses Nigel Farage of siding with tech billionaires over child safety amid deepfake abuse scandal

A Plaid Cymru MP has accused Nigel Farage of “putting tech billionaires ahead of protecting women and children” as the escalating online abuse crisis involving AI-generated sexual imagery was addressed at Westminster.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (14 January), Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi delivered a powerful warning following the discovery that Elon Musk’s social media platform X had been used to generate and circulate sexualised deepfake images of women and children.

Speaking from personal experience, Ms Medi told MPs that she had herself been targeted by AI-manipulated imagery — and condemned the leader of Reform UK for continuing to defend Musk despite the platform being linked to illegal content.

In a strong intervention, she said: “As someone with personal experience of AI generated images. The recent AI generated images shared on ‘X’ — particularly those of children — sickens me. Yet the leader of Reform continues to defend Elon Musk.

“Anyone who defends platforms linked to the sexual exploitation of children forfeits any right to give lectures about protecting women and girls.

“What will the Prime Minister do to stop any political party from putting tech billionaires ahead of protecting our children?”

Ms Medi’s comments build on months of mounting criticism of Reform UK’s stance on online regulation.

Last year Mr Farage argued that he could not be responsible for “despotic regimes all over the world” — and instead called for mass deportation of asylum seekers to, in his view, protect women and girls in Britain.

‘Disgusting’

The Prime Minister echoed Plaid Cymru’s condemnation, telling MPs that he was “astonished” Reform were defending Musk, and branding their position “disgusting”. Sir Keir Starmer also warned that Reform UK would scrap the Online Safety Act — the legislation currently obliging platforms to remove illegal images and prevent children accessing harmful content.

The row comes amid deepening concern over the spread of AI-generated sexual imagery. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology confirmed this week that deepfake child abuse imagery has been found circulating on X, created using the Grok AI tool owned by Musk.

In a statement on Monday, Science Secretary Liz Kendall MP told the Commons that: No woman or child should live in fear of having their image sexually manipulated by technology… This is Child Sexual Abuse.”

Fines

She confirmed Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into X’s compliance with the Online Safety Act — and warned the platform could face fines worth millions or even the ultimate sanction of being blocked in the UK.

The UK Government will also criminalise apps that “nudify” images — software designed specifically to generate non-consensual intimate material — and introduce new offences making creation of these images illegal.

Campaigners say the issue goes far beyond politics, highlighting the disproportionate targeting of women and girls, and the long-lasting trauma caused by deepfake abuse.

Ms Medi said the spread of AI-generated sexual images represented a direct threat to children and demanded that all political parties support stronger law enforcement, rather than, in her words, siding with “tech billionaires”.