In recent months the South-African has gone from space-nut tech entrepreneur to the global right’s shiny new toy. After playing his part in Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he’s eyeing up the next bastion of establishment politics – Westminster.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery”.
Just 34 minutes after Donald Trump avoided death by an inch at a rally in Pennsylvania last summer, the World’s richest man fully embraced MAGA.
Musk then joined Trump on the campaign trail, making numerous appearances to the delight of Trump’s supporters.
You can be forgiven for cringing at his goofy YMCA cheerleading – it’s something we were all guilty of. His awkward demeanour whilst making speeches made for fairly challenging viewing at times, many seeing the comedic side of the billionaire’s first foray into mainstream politics.
But as the campaign went on, Musk’s influence as part of Trump’s top team quickly became sizeable.
He held a lottery in swing states, dishing out millions of dollars to lucky Trump voters every single day in the weeks leading up to the election. After Trump then swept to victory in the swing states, it was widely reported that Musk had contributed a total of nearly $300 million to the campaign.
Was Musk’s enthusiasm and financial power the factors that persuaded undecided Americans to vote red on their ballots? Probably not.
But his purchase of X and dismantling of the regulations that had confined misinformation and wild conspiracy theories to the fringes of the platform was lapped up by the MAGA faithful.
Now, Musk uses his own platform to flex his new political muscles.
Musk conquered America. Now, he’s turned to Britain.
The Grooming Gangs Scandal
One of Musk’s favourite punching bags on X is Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom Musk appears to have a rather obsessive distaste for.
At the beginning of this month, Musk single handedly re-started the divisive debate around a potential national investigation into the 2010 grooming gang scandal, where thousands of young girls were groomed and sexually abused by men of mainly Pakistani heritage.
Musk caught wind of the scandal through his favoured right-wing ‘influencers’ on X. His digital allies of note include notorious Holocaust-denier Peter Sweden, along with former PM and runner-up in her bout with a lettuce, Liz Truss.
After first hearing of the scandal, Musk labelled Jess Phillips, the Labour MP who rejected a proposal for a new public enquiry into the scandal, a “rape genocide apologist.”
Phillips had ordered a local inquiry in Oldham, previously a key hub of the gangs, back in October.
Musk also accused Starmer of being “deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes.”
The usual suspects of the UK media were quick to leap on the Musk love-train, attacking the government for refusing to order another enquiry which would likely take years, and delay action.
But the scandal was front-page news once again – because of Musk. Great news for the victims. Right?
Don’t be fooled. Chances are Musk doesn’t know the name of a single one of the young women who were subjected to heinous abuse in their teenage years, at the hands of men who treated them as disposables.
Musk mainly used the case to evidence his warped perception of the failings of multi-culturalism.
Ultimately, Musk’s claims fell on (relatively) deaf ears in Westminster. The government voted once again to block the motion for another full national investigation, instead announcing a series of ‘rapid audits’ and five local level inquiries.
But that’s beside the point.
The point is that just a small shower of Musk’s tweets reignited a 15-year-old scandal. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch used up all 6 of her questions to the Prime Minister at PMQs on the subject of the grooming gangs, just days after Musk’s initial tirade on X.
Starmer and Phillps are just two names from the UK political establishment on Musk’s hit list. He called Sir Ed Davey a “snivelling cretin,” after the leader of the Liberal Democrats criticised his incursion into British politics. He then accused former Prime Minister Gordon Brown of compliance during the scandal, despite the evidence for this claim being debunked as disinformation.
Musk and Britain – An uncertain future
Musk has gravitated towards the Reform UK party in recent months.
The potential for a sizeable donation from Musk before the next general election must be a mouth-watering prospect for Reform, as the party seek to eat into Labour’s majority.
Similarly, Kemi Badenoch refrained from condemning Musk’s attacks on both Starmer and Phillips. It’s not inconceivable that she too has an eye on Musk’s chequebook, as the Conservatives seek to recover after a catastrophic 2024.
Badenoch will be happy to see that Musk has occasionally tweeted his approval of her opening months as leader.
But Musk is volatile. Already, fissures are appearing in his previously cordial relationship with newly-elected MP in Clacton (eighth-time lucky) and fellow Trump ally, Nigel Farage.
After Farage refused to issue his support to incarcerated EDL head honcho Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – known colloquially as Tommy Robinson – Musk took to X to question whether Farage was the right man to lead Reform.
It may very well end up with both Reform and the Conservatives vying for Musk’s backing, come 2029.
Circumstances change, but at the moment the only way for either to secure Musk’s backing would be by moving further to the right, more aligned with Trump, Giorgia Meloni, or Victor Orban – Musk’s current favourites.
Only time will tell if Musk’s influence in British politics will continue to grow. He now has a government position as part of Trump’s new cost-slashing department – it is possible that this official (ish) position will serve to restrain his tantrums on X, and keep him off the tabloid frontpages.
But Musk can’t help it. When he sees a chink in the armour of the establishment, he goes after it, leaning into the falsehoods and exacerbating the lies of the far right, simply because he enjoys making people angry. And he’s good at it.
Love him or hate him – Musk is now a political force of his own. We’d better get used to it.