Musk’s possible meddling in UK politics stirs concern

LONDON - Concerns are growing in the UK as tech billionaire Elon Musk takes an increasingly close interest in Britain’s political scene, appearing to cosy up to hard-right firebrand lawmaker Nigel Farage.

With

Mr Musk named to a new position

in the incoming US administration of Donald Trump, there are fears that he could seek to influence London’s future ties with Washington.

On Dec 18, Mr Farage, who leads the upstart anti-immigration Reform UK party, said he was in talks with Mr Musk about making a donation to his party.

Writing in the Telegraph news­paper, Mr Farage said “the issue of money was discussed” when he met the X owner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Dec 16.

“There will be ongoing negotiations on that score,” the arch-Eurosceptic wrote, in comments that will likely unnerve the ruling Labour Party and main Conservative opposition.

Newspaper reports have suggested that Mr Musk is preparing to donate up to US$100 million (S$136 million) to Reform, but Mr Farage told the BBC that the pair did not discuss figures.

Mr Musk “described the Labour and Conservative parties as the uniparty, and left us in no doubt that he is right behind us”, Mr Farage added.

Mr Farage said they would have to find a way to ensure that any donation from Mr Musk was made “legally through UK companies” but the idea, which emerged a few weeks ago, has already sent shivers down the spines of British lawmakers.

Reform UK won five seats in the 650-seat British Parliament in July’s general election, draining support from both Labour and the Tories.

Mr Farage is already eyeing the next general election, which has to be held by 2029 at the latest.

Conservative Party co-chairman Dominic Johnson said any such donation by the world’s richest man would be “basically buying” one of the UK’s political parties.

“People like Elon Musk, like Donald Trump, like Nigel Farage... the sort of the new right, they really hate the old right,” which is seen as having become too liberal, said Dr Russell Foster, senior lecturer of British and international politics at King’s College.

This old right “were not killed off by the left or centre. They’re killed off because a more right-wing movement comes along”.

So far, Mr Musk has contented himself with taking aim at Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, launching a series of searing comments on his social network X.

“The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state,” he stormed in November.

At the height of this summer’s anti-immigrant riots – the UK’s worst unrest in years – Mr Musk wrote on X that “civil war is inevitable” and accused the government of dealing too harshly with the rioters.

It won him support among UK social network users and influencers on the far right.

In September, Mr Musk also advised people not to visit the UK when “they’re releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts”.

Dr Foster said: “He appears to believe he is on some sort of a mission against the establishment.”

Pragmatism

Some observers feel Mr Musk is also up in arms about British government plans to toughen legislation regulating social networks.

Mr Starmer said the riots had been fuelled by online content and later did not invite Mr Musk to an investors’ conference – something the SpaceX and Tesla chief executive had taken as an insult, sources close to him said.

Since the US presidential elections,

Mr Musk and Trump have become inseparable

, and their “bromance” could complicate Labour’s efforts to boost ties with the Republicans.

Labour has historically been closer to the Democrats but Mr Starmer, who met Trump in New York in September, has been seeking to open a new chapter in the party’s relations with the Republican Party.

“The Prime Minister looks forward to working with President Trump and his whole team, including Elon Musk,” a Downing Street spokesman said in November.

Dr Foster said: “Starmer is very aware that he can’t alienate the incoming US president. We think that we have to maintain that special relationship. So it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House, we’re always going to be nice towards Washington.”

Labour politician and former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson said it would be “unwise” for the UK to ignore Mr Musk, calling on the Labour Party to “swallow your pride”.

He described Mr Farage as a “bridgehead, both to President Trump and to Elon Musk and others. You’ve got to be pragmatic, practical about this”. AFP