A history of Elon Musk and Keir Starmer’s relationship, from the Southport riots to grooming gang claims

Sir Keir Starmer’s latest spat with Elon Musk has its roots in tensions that began months ago

Sir Keir Starmer has begun this year in an explosive row with tech billionaire Elon Musk, which broke out after the Tesla boss criticised the government for rejecting a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

Over Christmas, he launched into a furious tirade on social media, sharing a flurry of posts accusing home office minister Jess Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist” who “deserves to be in prison”. He has also claimed that the prime minister is complicit in the scandal and criticised his handling of it while he was director of public prosecutions.

While Sir Keir has stayed quiet over the last few days, refusing to be drawn into a running commentary on the posts, he came out fighting on Monday, using a speech on the NHS to hit back at Musk’s “lies and misinformation”.

“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible are not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,” he said. “They are cheerleading Tommy Robinson, a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing a grooming case”.

“When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats, to Jess Phillips and others, that in my book, means a line has been crossed. I enjoy the cut and thrust of politics. The robust debate that we must have. But that’s got to be based on facts and truth. Not on lies.”

While the latest spat may have appeared to come out of nowhere, it has its roots in tensions that began months ago.

When did the row between Sir Keir and Mr Musk begin?

Tesla owner Elon Musk has repeatedly criticised the Prime Minister on his social media platform, X (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Archive)

The row between the prime minister and the US tech billionaire had its origins in the riots that took place over summer in England and Northern Ireland.

Misinformation allowed to run rife on Musk’s social media platform X was blamed for helping to fuel racist far-right riots and attacks, sparking a crackdown on inflammatory social media posts associated with the disorder.

In Sir Keir’s first press conference following the violence that broke out in the wake of the Southport stabbings, he issued a direct warning to “large social media companies and those who run them”, saying that “violent disorder was clearly whipped up online.”

"That is also a crime”, the prime minister said. “It is happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere."

In response, Musk zeroed in on the efforts to police incendiary posts, accusing the UK of “two-tier” policing –  a far-right claim suggesting police are taking a softer approach with left-wing and Islamic protesters than they are with white working-class protesters.

The Tesla boss posted a barrage of tweets criticising the government’s handling of the riots, including sharing a number of far-right posts and graphics critical of Sir Keir.

The row reached its peak after Musk claimed that “civil war is inevitable” in Britain, leading to condemnation from Downing Street, with a spokesperson warning there is “no justification for comments like that”.

While the immediate tension died down after the riots subsided, it was clear damage had been done to the relationship between the UK government and Mr Musk, with the Starmer administration opting not to invite the billionaire to a major investment summit held in London in October.

The snub stood in stark contrast to the public love-in Rishi Sunak held with the tech billionaire at an AI summit last year, where the then prime minister sat down for an hour long Q and A with Musk.

A possible Reform UK donation

Nigel Farage’s relationship with Musk soured quickly (Stuart Mitchell/Reform UK/PA Wire)

To make matters worse for Sir Keir, Musk has long been a vocal backer of Reform UK. In the final few weeks of 2024, there were growing rumours the tech billionaire was preparing to donate $100m to Nigel Farage’s party – by far the largest contribution in British electoral history.

The donation would change the game for Reform UK, which already claims to have more members than the Conservative Party and is attempting to become the largest party in British politics.

The speculation over a possible donation from the US tech billionaire led senior Labour figures to suggest they could move to block the donation, with Commons leader Lucy Powell reiterating that the government is committed to reforming the electoral system to protect it from interference when pressed on the possible intervention from Mr Musk.

However, the tech billionaire himself poured cold water on the speculation when he unexpectedly declared that Nigel Farage should be replaced as party leader last weekend.

Elon Musk’s alliance with Trump

Musk has grown close to the president - but how long will their relationship last? (Getty)

The problem for Sir Keir Starmer was only worsened by the election of Donald Trump in November, who went on to promise Musk a role in his incoming administration as head of the ‘Department for Government Efficiency’.

Musk’s alliance with the president-elect has raised the stakes for Sir Keir’s relationship with the tech billionaire - as bickering with the social media boss means fighting a close confidant of the next US president.

While the prime minister has managed to avoid any major run-ins with Mr Trump since his election victory, his relationship with the president-elect has been far from smooth sailing, and Musk has only made navigating it even more difficult.

When 100 Labour activists were sent to the US to campaign for Kamala Harris, Musk accused the prime minister of illegal election interference.

And now that Labour is keen to build bridges with Mr Trump, the tech billionaire’s latest social media attacks on the prime minister have made it clear he could stand in the way.