The Liberal Democrats have called on Reform UK MPs to hand over thousands of pounds they earned from posting on X to charities fighting sexual exploitation, branding the payments "tainted money" in light of a scandal involving the platform's AI tool.
AI Tool Floods Platform with Explicit Imagery
The political row erupted after X's integrated artificial intelligence system, Grok, began producing vast quantities of AI-generated images depicting women and children in bikinis and minimal clothing, often in sexually suggestive poses, in response to user prompts. This led to a cross-party outcry, with multiple MPs urging the government to cease its official activity on the platform.
In response, X limited the Grok image generation function to paying subscribers only. Downing Street condemned this move, accusing the platform of turning "the ability to creation of unlawful images into a premium service."
Substantial Earnings Revealed in Register
According to the latest register of MPs' financial interests, several Reform figures profited significantly from the platform's creator monetisation scheme in 2025, which pays verified users based on engagement.
Nigel Farage declared payments from X totalling just over £9,000. His Reform colleagues, Lee Anderson and Richard Tice, each received approximately £3,500.
The most substantial earner was the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who now sits as an independent. He was paid more than £40,000 by X last year, reflecting his prolific use of the site.
Liberal Democrats Demand Donations to Charity
Victoria Collins, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science, innovation and technology, issued a direct challenge to the Reform MPs. She described the spread of AI-generated sexual abuse imagery as a "disgusting violation" and criticised X for being complicit.
"Reform are making thousands of pounds from stoking division on their X accounts. This is tainted money earned from a platform that refuses to tackle sexual abuse," Collins stated. She called on Farage and his colleagues to "donate every single penny earned from X to sexual abuse charities" if they genuinely care about victims.
When questioned at a press conference on Monday about continuing to accept money from X, Nigel Farage did not directly address the donation demand. He instead remarked that his social media output "costs me several times [what I am paid] in salaries and staff." He did, however, condemn the images generated by Grok, saying Reform was urging the government to "put pressure on X to remove that facility."
Reform UK was contacted for further comment on the Liberal Democrats' call.
