Elon Musk, the influential tech billionaire and advisor to incoming US President Donald Trump, has suggested that America should liberate the United Kingdom from a tyrannical government.
With over a million responses, his tweet, which was posted as a poll, saw a significant portion of respondents favor this notion. However, the platform’s susceptibility to bot manipulation and the non-representative nature of social media polls call into question the validity of such results.
This statement from Mr. Musk comes amidst his ongoing critique of the UK’s political landscape, particularly the government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he has recently attacked over the handling of child sexual exploitation cases. Mr. Musk has called for PM Starmer to be imprisoned over what he perceives as failures during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions.
Elon Musk has also accused Jess Phillips, the UK’s Safeguarding Minister, whom he accused of being a ‘rape genocide apologist’ for not supporting a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.
UK leaders react
The reaction in the UK has been largely critical.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Mr. Musk’s statements, emphasizing the need for political discourse to be grounded in facts and truth rather than lies and misinformation.
British MPs from various parties have labeled Elon Musk’s rhetoric as inflammatory and potentially dangerous, especially considering the current sociopolitical climate in the UK, which has been marred by unrest and debates over freedom of speech and government accountability.
Health Minister Wes Streeting referred to Mr. Musk’s attacks on Minister Phillips as a ‘disgraceful smear,’ highlighting the contributions of both Mr. Starmer and Ms. Phillips in tackling sexual and violent crimes.
Meanwhile, there’s been a call from some quarters for Mr. Musk to focus on American politics, where his influence might be more constructively applied, especially given his significant role in the Trump administration’s upcoming term.
