Less than a year ago, tech billionaire Elon Musk was the UK’s star guest at the conference, and the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, played the role of fawning interviewer on the world’s richest man. A year later, things have changed in Britain. The Labor government, which came to power in July, has decided not to invite Musk to a mega investment summit to be held in London on October 14.
Tesla and X bosses don’t seem to like the snub and hit back at the UK government with full force, urging visitors not to travel to the UK. “I don’t think anyone should go to England when they release pedophiles convicted of imprisoning people for social media posts,” he said when he found out he wasn’t invited.
Origin Story
It is true that many prisoners have recently been released in a government scheme to decongest Britain’s overcrowded prisons. But there is no evidence to suggest that sex offenders or pedophiles have been released. Musk’s tweets have sparked controversy and concerns about the spread of misinformation, with British media warning the tech billionaire about his recent actions of “spreading disinformation” about the UK. A few weeks ago, Musk shared a baseless report that Britain was building an internment camp in the Falkland Islands for rioters, though he quickly deleted the tweet after facing backlash.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed Musk’s latest provocative comments during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Leaving them to be very different from the positive response received from investors, Starmer said that the latter had expressed a strong interest in attending and they praised his meeting with the British government as the best.
Why Summits Matter
The summit – in its third edition since 2021 – aims to attract significant investment to drive economic growth, a top priority for the Labor government. According to a government release, last year’s meeting resulted in investment pledges of nearly £30 billion. This year, as Chancellor (finance minister) Rachel Reeves and Business and Trade Secretary (minister) Jonathan Reynolds join Starmer in showing Britain’s potential, the government hopes to secure investment commitments worth around 60 billion pounds in sectors such as technology, green energy and artificial intelligence ( AI).
But the elephant in the room is the government’s cold shoulder for musk. It has fueled debate about the UK’s true commitment to openness and whether it is willing to engage with business leaders who have a critical influence on the Labor government. As the government seeks to reset ties with global trading partners and promote innovation, supporters of Musk and the opposition Conservative Party have raised questions about Starmer’s willingness to walk the talk. Despite the tech billionaire’s inflammatory comments, the Labor government’s decision to ignore him is vindictive and petty. Kasturi is not an ordinary person. His influence on modern business, technology, and society is undeniable. I rate him with the Israeli historian and thinker Yuval Noah Harari – both are visionaries of our time, but with different approaches. I would like to mention that while Harari is focused on the bigger picture, encouraging introspection and societal evolution, Musk is actively shaping the future through groundbreaking technology. There is no doubt that both visionaries inspire and challenge our understanding of human potential.
Kasturi, agent provocateur
Relations between Musk and Starmer have been frosty since the Labor Party came to power in July. Starmer, many believe, and rightly so, is upset with the American billionaire because of his unflattering remarks about how the Labor government handled the national unrest in August. After the horrific Southport stabbing that killed three children, Musk donned the role of agent provocateur as he unleashed criticism against Starmer and his new government. In one of his tweets, he ominously predicted ‘civil war’ in England. Musk has 193 million followers on X, which means that anything he says on the platform will be amplified around the world in seconds. There is no doubt that as violence and unrest spread across the country, fueled by misinformation and far-right extremism, Musk’s misleading tweets added fuel to the fire.
The response from Labor MPs was swift and stinging. Major voices in the party accused Musk of deliberately spreading disinformation and trying to sow division in British society. One Labor MP described Musk’s intervention as “grossly irresponsible”, suggesting his comments were intended to tap into existing social rifts for personal or ideological reasons.
But It’s Not Easy To Just Get Rid Of Musk
Starmer’s office, too, condemned the “civil war is inevitable” comment and said there was no justification for such remarks. But it won’t be easy to silence Musk, who is seen in many right-wing circles as a defender of free speech. He doubled down on Starmer and posted a series of provocative tweets, even accusing British police of being harsh on White protesters during the riots.
To Starmer’s comment about X that “We will not tolerate attacks on mosques and Muslim communities”, Musk replied, “Why don’t you worry about attacks on ‘all’ communities?” In another post, he claimed that Britain was censoring online content, and asked “Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?”
The government and businessmen often clash
The clash between Musk and the British government is not an isolated incident. Throughout history, industrialists and influential businessmen have challenged the government, often sparking tension and drama. Indian-born British industrialists, the Hinduja brothers, were embroiled in the “Hinduja Affair” during Tony Blair’s tenure as prime minister. The brothers are accused of bribing Indian officials to secure defense contracts. The Blair government faces allegations of improperly granting Hindujas British passports. But an investigation cleared them. However, the scandal led to the resignation of Blair’s minister, Peter Mandelson. The episode underscores the complex relationship between business, politics, and national interests.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s battle with Margret Thatcher’s government began when he owned The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers. Murdoch’s media empire was investigated for shady business dealings, which eventually led to him selling The Times.
It is a widely known fact that billionaire investor George Soros has long been a thorn in the side of Hungary’s nationalist government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF) promotes democratic values ​​and human rights, which Orbán sees as a threat to his government. The government launched a campaign against Soros, accusing him of promoting immigration and damaging Hungarian culture. The government also passed a law restricting NGOs, allegedly targeting OSF. Soros eventually closed the OSF office in Budapest, citing “unprecedented” government harassment.
Can Regulation X?
Under the Online Safety Act, social media platforms are required to proactively remove illegal content, including inflammatory material, and prevent it from appearing in the first place. The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has the power to punish non-compliant platforms with fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global annual turnover. It is believed that the new act, passed last year, gives the government enough power to tame social platforms if they are found spreading lies in society.
It is reported that some Labor MPs have quietly suggested that action should be taken against Elon Musk for his inflammatory tweets during the riots in August and he should be summoned by Parliament to face questions from MPs. But there is no strong indication of that happening. Not yet.
(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a senior Indian journalist in London with thirty years of experience with Western media)
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author
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