After facing condemnation for attacking “Two Tier Keir” Starmer online back in August and claiming “civil war is inevitable” just days after far-right riots took place across England in response to anti-immigrant misinformation, Trump ally and Twitter/X owner Elon Musk is once again wading into UK politics.
The billionaire, who is soon set to head up the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) with Vivek Ramaswamy under Donald Trump’s second administration, has now turned his attention to the issues of child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs.
Except, rather unsurprisingly, Musk’s interventions are riddled with inaccuracies which suggest he seriously shouldn’t comment on another country’s politics if he doesn’t understand how our institutions work.
We’ve rounded up every instance of this happening below.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Claiming rapists receive suspended sentences
On 31 December, Musk quote tweeted a post from another account which had shared footage of far-right criminal, Tommy Robinson, being interviewed in his prison cell by Ross Kemp, and asked: “Why are rapists given suspended sentences in the UK, but this guy gets 18 months in solitary confinement, despite doing nothing violent?”
The footage was back when Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – was serving a prison sentence for contempt of court (he was sentenced to nine months, but had this reduced to 19 weeks), which he received in July 2019, following his livestreaming on Facebook of men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.
He was jailed for 18 months for contempt of court again in October 2024, after repeating libellous claims about a Syrian refugee in breach of a court order.
In both instances, Yaxley-Lennon admitted he had breached court orders.
As for Musk’s assertion that rapists are being given “suspended sentences” – this is very rare.
The UK’s Sentencing Council’s guidelines on sentencing rapists gives a sentencing range of “four to 19 years’ custody”, and details when a suspended sentence can be applied.
Calling for Jess Phillips, an elected MP, to be ‘thrown out’ of office
Commenting on the safeguarding minister’s letter to Oldham Council, in which she declined to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the Manchester town (she recognised the “strength of feeling” but wrote that “it is for Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an enquiry” locally), Musk slammed Phillips’ “shameful conduct”.
“Throw her out,” he wrote.
We can’t believe we have to explain this to Elon Musk, but Phillips can only be fired from her role by Prime Minister Keir Starmer (and obviously that won’t happen), and on an MP level, a member can only be kicked out of the House of Commons if they are convicted of an offence and handed a custodial sentence; barred from sitting in the chamber for 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days; or convicted of false or misleading information for allowance claims under the Parliamentary Standards Act of 2009.
That triggers a recall petition, which has to be signed by 10 per cent of the constituency to make an MP lose their seat.
So no, that’s not going to happen in Phillips’ case.
Demanding a new UK general election – just months after the last one
For goodness’ sake.
A newly elected government is unlikely to upend its legislative programme by calling another general election after so recently winning one, and tend only to do so on a ‘snap’ basis amid a political crisis in their party, or at the end of the typical five-year term.
Anyone who didn’t want Labour elected will have to wait until 2029 to try and push for another government to be elected, unless Starmer (or another Labour leader) wants to call one before then.
Claiming Jess Phillips is “refusing” an inquiry because it would lead to “the blaming of Keir Starmer”
Indulging in the outright conspiratorial, Musk wrote on Twitter/X this week that Jess Phillips is “refusing to investigate the rape gangs” because it would “obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Starmer” and his handling of the Crown Prosecution Service as ex-director of public prosecutions.
He said: “In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service's approval for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice?
“Keir Starmer, 2008 -2013.
“Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Stamer [sic]. The real reason she's refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”
We’ve already discussed Phillips’ reasoning behind turning down Oldham Council’s request, but ex-chief prosecutor in the CPS, Nazir Afzal has shut down Musk’s criticism of Starmer, accusing the billionaire of “rewriting history”.
Keir Starmer PA
“Under Starmer’s leadership we finally tackled these abuses, which had previously been handled poorly. He put me in charge, we brought 100s of offenders to justice & gave voice to 1000s of victims.
“A simple google/twitter search would show this,” he wrote.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting was asked about Musk’s attacks by ITV News, and responded by saying ministers took child sexual exploitation “incredibly seriously”.
He said: “Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think are misjudged and certainly misinformed, but we’re willing to work with Elon Musk, who I think has got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue. So if he wants to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.”
Meanwhile, health minister Andrew Gwynne told LBC: “Elon Musk is an American citizen and perhaps ought to focus on issues on the other side of the Atlantic.
“There comes a point where we don’t need more inquiries, and had Elon Musk really paid attention to what’s been going on in this country, he might have recognised that there have already been inquiries.”
Agreeing that King Charles should “step in” and “dissolve parliament” – when that doesn’t happen without prime ministerial approval
In further misunderstandings about UK democracy, Musk has agreed with tweets calling for King Charles III to “step in”, “dissolve parliament” and “order a general election be called”.
Except, the monarch dissolves parliament on the advice of the prime minister (that’s Starmer, Elon) when the latter wishes to call a general election. Aside from that, the legislative speech and granting Royal Assent to bills, the royal tends to steer clear from involving themselves in parliamentary business.
Indeed, the last time that parliament was dissolved by the monarch of their own accord was back in the 1830s, and Charles certainly shows no signs of wanting to do that any time soon.
Stop embarrassing yourself, Elon.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.