Musk's political maneuver: Targeting UK's Prime Minister Starmer
Elon Musk, the American billionaire and a known associate of the future U.S. President Donald Trump, is reportedly exploring ways to depose the Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer. This information comes from "Financial Times," which cites sources close to the head of SpaceX and Tesla.
Musk is seeking ways to undermine the Starmer government that extend beyond his aggressive online posts targeting Labour Party politicians. "He believes Western civilisation is under threat," one of the sources told "FT."
According to the newspaper, the billionaire is considering whether it would be possible to garner support for an alternative political movement, such as the populist-right Reform UK party, and attempt to change the prime minister's position before the next elections.
In the UK's parliamentary system, prime ministers serve by leading the party with the most members of parliament. In recent decades, several prime ministers have won significant majorities in elections but had to step down soon after due to waning support, "FT" recalled.
Last week, Musk criticized British authorities, demanding a national investigation into the cases of mass exploitation and rape of girls by gangs primarily consisting of men of Pakistani descent. The practice went on for years, especially in towns in northern England. When the scandal was revealed by the press nearly 20 years ago, it was evident that local authorities and services, which should have protected the victims—such as the police and social services—were passive, partly due to fears of being accused of racism.
Musk accused Starmer, who was responsible for handling child sexual exploitation cases at the prosecutor's office at the time, of sharing responsibility for the British "rape crisis." He also criticized then-minister Jess Phillips, who rejected Oldham City Council's call for a national investigation into the rape gangs operating in the Manchester area, labeling her a "genocide by rape apologist."
Starmer strongly rejected Musk's criticism. He stated that those spreading "lies and misinformation" are not interested in the victims but rather in their own benefit. Phillips accused Musk of endangering her life.
Over the weekend, Musk distanced himself from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, undermining Farage's hopes for a significant donor from the billionaire to his party shortly. Musk stated, "The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn't have what it takes." According to "FT" sources, Musk was exploring potential candidates to replace Farage as the party leader and assessing what mechanisms could be used to achieve this.
"I'm not going to war with Musk"
Reform UK has been gaining increasing popularity in recent months. Public opinion polls suggest it is supported by 22% of the public. The ruling Labour Party currently holds 28% support, while the Conservatives have 24%.
On Tuesday, Farage downplayed the significance of his dispute with the billionaire. In a radio interview, he mentioned that he would meet with Musk in January. "I have no desire to go to war with Elon Musk and I’m not going to," he said.
