comments Britain is prepared to ban the social media platform X in a deepening row over the platform being used to create child sexual abuse and misogynistic deepfakes, a top minister said today. Peter Kyle said that blocking access to the social media platform was among the options it was looking at, as a row with owner Elon Musk over the Grok AI deepened. The business secretary said he expected the production of 'nudifying images' to be 'dealt with', saying they were 'disgusting and clearly unlawful'. It came as regulator Ofcom today said it was carrying out an official investigation into X under the Online safety Act. An Ofcom spokeswoman said: 'Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that's illegal in the UK, and we won't hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there's a risk of harm to children.' Musk has been under increasing pressure to act after the X virtual assistant was found to be aiding users to digitally remove clothes from pictures of children and women. He has taken limited steps, making the picture editing facility available only to paying users, but said any action to block the platform would be 'fascist'. The Trump White House weighed in on his side at the weekend, with its free-speech tsar likening the UK to Putin's Russia. Asked if Britain would consider a ban if the Ofcom probe said it was necessary to protect children, Mr Kyle this morning said: 'Yes, of course. 'Ofcom acts as an enforcer, as an enforcement agency, and it must use those powers to the full extent of the law to keep people safe in this country.' But Nigel Farage has said he fears the Government will end up 'suppressing free speech'. Peter Kyle said that blocking access to the social media platform was among the options it was looking at, as a row with owner Elok Musk over the Grok AI deepened. Musk has been under increasing pressure to act after the X virtual assistant was found to be aiding users to digitally remove clothes from pictures of children and women. The Trump White House weighed in on his side at the weekend, with its free-speech tsar likening the UK to Putin's Russia. Speaking at a press conference in central London, the Reform UK leader said: 'Nothing from the current set of regulators in Government would surprise me when it comes to the suppression of free speech. 'Do we like and welcome the particular feature on Grok that has made the news over the weekend? No. 'But let's talk to Grok. They have already made one or two steps in our direction. My fear is we will end up suppressing Grok and further suppressing free speech and we do not want to do that.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said banning X is 'the wrong answer'. Asked if she supports the banning of X in the UK or any restrictions being placed on Elon Musk's social media site, Mrs Badenoch said: 'I think banning X is the wrong answer. I'm not even sure what question it is that they're answering. Ofcom is carrying out what it has called an 'expedited assessment' of X and xAI's response to its chatbot Grok's manipulation of images to create undressed individuals and sexualized images of children. Liz Kendall, the UK technology secretary, said yesterday ministers would stand by the regulator if it decides to block access to the social media platform, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he was leaving 'all options' on the table. Ahead of a statement to MPs she today added that Ofcom must complete its probe 'swiftly' because 'the public and most importantly the victims – will not accept any delay'. Musk accused the UK of becoming 'fascist,' and Sarah Rogers, the US state department's undersecretary for public diplomacy, compared the UK government to that of Russia. She wrote on the platform that Great Britain was 'contemplating a Russia-style X ban to protect them from bikini images as she criticized the country for failing to ban marriages between cousins - which she suggested was linked to 'honor' killings. 'Since we know the British government wants to make sure women are safe both online and offline (thus contemplating a Russia-style X ban, to protect them from bikini images) here's more from Wikipedia on cousin marriage - and its connection to honor killing,' Rogers posted on Sunday. 'A sardonic reader might wonder whether Ofcom's response to such affronts would be "ban Wikipedia,"' she continued.