LONDON: European leaders expressed growing frustration with tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday, as a major row escalated between members of Britain’s government and US president-elect Donald Trump’s key ally.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed those “spreading lies and misinformation” following days of incendiary posts by Musk on his X platform over historical sex offences against children in northern England.

Musk, who is set for a role in Trump’s administration, then accused the centre-left Labour leader of being “deeply complicit in the mass rapes” and “utterly despicable”.

European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron have also weighed in against Musk. The French leader said the SpaceX boss was “directly intervening in elections”, including in Germany where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned the Tesla boss for backing an extreme-right party.

Starmer slams those ‘spreading lies and misinformation’ after days of incendiary posts by Musk

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he found it “worrying” that someone with so much wealth and influence was getting involved in the politics of European countries.

Much of Musk’s focus in recent days has been on Britain and historical scandals involving grooming gangs that first emerged during Starmer’s 2008-2013 tenure as chief state prosecutor for England and Wales.

The comments pose a major challenge for Starmer’s government, as it tries to fend off growing support for the far-right while also seeking to maintain good relations with Trump’s incoming administration.

Musk’s tirade, which included demands for a new public inquiry into the scandal, has prompted some UK opposition politicians to join in the criticism and call for a fresh national probe.

‘Lies’

The issue has long been seized upon by far-right figures, including Tommy Robinson, one of Britain’s best known far-right agitators, whom Musk has praised and said should be released from jail.

Responding to media questions on the topic, Starmer insisted he was “not going to individualise this to Elon Musk” but said “a line has been crossed” with some of the online criticism.

“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,” Starmer told reporters, without naming Musk.

“I’m prepared to call out this for what it is. We’ve seen this playbook many times: the whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it.”

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2025