Elon Musk’s Political Views Upset EU Leaders—Tesla Mogul Faces Wrath of UK Government

• The U.K. Home Office has started monitoring Elon Musk’s social media posts.
• U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer retaliated against Musk, claiming the Tesla boss has spread “lies and misinformation” for personal gain.
• The move comes as an increasing number of EU leaders criticize Musk’s “intervening” in the bloc’s politics through posts to his 211 million followers on X.
• Musk, a fierce supporter of Donald Trump, has amplified his political views through his social media platform.

Elon Musk has recently intensified his involvement in European politics through a barrage of posts on X, mainly targeting left-wing politicians and parties.

From accusing the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being complicit in grooming gangs to calling German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool,” the Tesla boss’ targeted views have spanned the region.

Now, the U.K. and other EU tech leaders are firing back at the billionaire.

U.K. Home Office Monitors Musk’s Social Media Posts

On Friday, Jan. 10, it was revealed that the U.K. Home Office’s Homeland Security group was monitoring social media posts by Musk and others labeled as potential security risks.

First reported  by the Daily Mirror, the monitoring is understood to have begun after Musk’s outlandish posts aimed at Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.

A source told the BBC  that the monitoring was intended to monitor challenges threatened by “non-state actors.”

The Home Office is reportedly looking at everything, including Musk’s posts’ reach, who is actively engaging in them, and how.

Musk Targets U.K. Left

Since Musk took over X, formerly Twitter, in 2022, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has not shied away from using his platform to express his views.

In recent months, beginning with the fierce campaigning for President-elect Donald Trump, Musk’s political rhetoric has become increasingly bullish in favor of the right.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Musk took to X to claim that a grooming gang might have abducted his white working-class grandmother  if she had been born in modern Britain.

“My Nana was one of the poor working-class girls with no one to protect her who might have been abducted in present day Britain.”

Musk has also been vocal against U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing Starmer of mishandling child sexual exploitation cases and calling for his imprisonment, labeling him a “rape genocide apologist.”

Musk suggested to his 211 million followers that the U.S. should “liberate” Britain  from its current government in one particularly outlandish statement.

Musk also called for the release of jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson and later turned on Reform leader Nigel Farage, whom he had previously praised.

After Farage criticized Robinson, Musk took a U-turn on the party leader.

“The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk posted on X.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Responds

Keir Starmer has since condemned Musk’s attacks on himself and the Labour government, speaking in particular defense of safeguarding minister Jess Phillips .

Musk previously described Phillips as a supporter of “genocidal rape abusers” and “a witch” after the safeguarding minister rejected a request for a government-led public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.

In October, Phillips instructed Oldham council to conduct  its own investigation, similar to the inquiry set up in Rochdale.

In his first speech after a Christmas break on Monday, Jan. 6, Starmer claimed  those “spreading lies and misinformation” were not interested in victims.

“When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats, to Jess Phillips and others, that in my book, means a line has been crossed,” Starmer said.

The U.K. prime minister said Phillips had done “a thousand times more than they’ve even dreamt about when it comes to protecting victims of sexual abuse throughout her entire career.”

Starmer also called out Conservative politicians who had “jumped on the bandwagon” of Musk’s comments, claiming they were doing it purely for attention.

“…when those politicians sat in government for 14 long years – tweeting, talking, but not doing anything about it – now so desperate for attention that they’re amplifying what the far right is saying,” Starmer said.

Other EU Leaders Fire Back at Musk

Starmer’s comments come as other EU leaders join in the growing rebuttal against Musk , with some accusing the world’s richest man of purposefully interfering with the region’s democratic process.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre , and a German government spokesperson have all criticized the world’s richest man.

Macron, who didn’t mention Musk by name, said : “Ten years ago, who would have imagined that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would be supporting a new international reactionary movement and intervening directly in elections, including in Germany.”

Støre, who also refrained from mentioning Musk’s name, said he worried that “a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries.”

“This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies,” he added.