Overview

• Testifying to the House Judiciary Committee, Nigel Farage said Britain has "sunk into" an authoritarian posture, likened it to North Korea, and warned the Online Safety Act threatens speech and could strain trade.
• He cited the Heathrow arrest of Irish writer Graham Linehan over social media posts and the 31‑month sentence of Lucy Connolly for inciting racial hatred as examples of overreach; Connolly has since been released.
• Republican chair Jim Jordan voiced concern that the U.K.’s law and the EU’s Digital Services Act could chill American speech and burden U.S. tech with global compliance costs, while Democrats attacked Farage’s credibility.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Farage for appealing to Washington, calling it a disgrace, and defended the act as protecting children; Farage denied urging sanctions and urged warnings about trade implications instead.
• Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the Linehan arrest as part of an "impossible" balance between free expression and incitement and said he has proposed clarifying the law.