A House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday reignited tensions over transatlantic tech regulation as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage used the platform to denounce Britain’s Online Safety Act and EU digital laws as “authoritarian.” Invited by Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Farage warned that the rules would harm free speech and risk damaging trade with the United States.
Jordan, who has long opposed European tech regulations, framed the hearing — titled “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation” — as part of his campaign to pressure Europe into loosening laws that have led to investigations and fines against U.S. tech firms. He argued that European policies suppress free expression globally, echoing conservative concerns tied to Covid-19 misinformation and the fallout of Jan. 6, 2021.
Farage’s appearance stirred political controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. In London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized him for “badmouthing” Britain abroad, calling his actions unpatriotic. Within the U.S. Congress, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) accused Jordan and Farage of using the hearing as a partisan attack rather than a serious defense of free speech.
The session highlighted deep divisions over regulating online platforms. Farage cited arrests in the U.K. of individuals accused of inflammatory posts on X as evidence of state overreach, although neither case was prosecuted under the Online Safety Act. Democratic witness David Kaye, former UN rapporteur on freedom of expression, countered that European laws address real challenges posed by powerful tech companies — problems U.S. lawmakers themselves have struggled to legislate.
While Farage vowed to repeal the Online Safety Act if his Reform Party gains power, his appearance in Washington underscored concerns in Brussels and London that a future Trump White House could use trade leverage to push back against European digital regulations.
