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Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and the owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), is at the centre of a political scandal that has engulfed both the UK and the European Union. According to Reuters and the Financial Times, Musk has been privately discussing with allies ways to oust British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before the next election.
It is known that Musk has been actively interested in British politics for the past six months. He has repeatedly criticised the Starmer government, calling on King Charles to dissolve parliament, and has also posted questions on his social media platform X asking whether the US should “liberate” the British.
“His position is that Western civilisation is under threat,” said one source familiar with the situation.
Musk has also allegedly sought support for alternative political movements, including the right-wing populist party Reform UK, in an attempt to change the political landscape of Britain.
Conflict with Starmer
One of the biggest topics of confrontation was the scandalous investigation into sexual abuse in the UK. Musk accused Starmer, who previously headed the prosecutor’s office in England and Wales, of inaction and “complicity” in these crimes.
“Musk has slandered my reputation and endangered my life,” responded government spokeswoman Jess Phillips, whom Musk called a “rape genocide apologist”.
Starmer denied the allegations, saying that Musk was “spreading disinformation”.
European resonance
Musk’s actions have drawn criticism not only in the UK but also in other EU countries. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about his interference in the internal affairs of US allies.
In addition, Musk supported the German far-right AfD party by inviting its leader Alice Weidel for an interview on the X platform. This angered German officials, who consider the billionaire’s actions a threat to the country’s democratic process.
“Elon Musk is increasingly behaving like a player who is questioning the stability of European governments,” the analysts said.
Impact on relations with the United States
The behaviour of Musk, who is a close ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, is adding to tensions between Washington and Europe. Although Trump appears to approve of Musk’s activities, European officials are calling on the US to rein in the billionaire.
Time will tell whether this conflict will escalate into a large-scale crisis between the US, UK and EU. What is clear, however, is that Musk has become one of the most influential and controversial actors on the modern political scene.
