Elon Musk has once again criticised the UK government – and now it’s an even bigger problem for Keir Starmer.
The tech billionaire used his account on X – the social media platform he owns – to comment on an unfounded claim that “hundreds of British citizens, including journalists, are reporting that they’ve been visited by the police this weekend regarding X posts”.
It is thought to refer to a report in the Daily Telegraph that one of the paper’s journalists, Allison Pearson, has been questioned by police over a post she put on X a year ago.
Musk said it was “crazy” – and the timing of his latest intervention on British politics could not have come at a worse moment for the prime minister.
US president-elect Donald Trump announced earlier this week that Musk – one of his biggest supporters – will head up a new Department of Government Efficiency in his new government.
Musk’s influence in the Trump administration is bad news for Starmer, who is desperate to have good relations with the incoming president.
The PM was quick to congratulate the Republican on his “historic” victory over Kamala Harris last week, and was one of the first foreign leaders to call Trump to congratulate him.
In gushing comments, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and president-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another.”
But Musk’s long-running feud with Starmer and his government has the potential to be a major sticking point for the “special relationship” over the next four years.
In the summer, the prime minister slapped down the billionaire tech boss for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in the UK in the wake of the far-right riots which have taken place across the country in the past week.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “There’s no justification for comments like that and what we’ve seen in this country is organised illegal thuggery which has no place on our streets or online.”
But responding to a video posted on X by Starmer in which he said the government “will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities”, Musk replied: “Shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on all communities?”
And earlier this month, Musk also took aim at changes to inheritance tax in the Budget, which farmers say will land them with massive tax bills and potentially put them out of business.
He said: “We should leave the farmers alone. We farmers immense gratitude for making the food on our tables!”
