Elon Musk's political gambit: Challenging UK's Starmer
Elon Musk, the American billionaire and known associate of the future U.S. President Donald Trump, is reportedly seeking ways to depose the Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, according to the "Financial Times," citing sources close to the head of SpaceX and Tesla.
Musk is seeking a way to undermine the Starmer government that goes beyond his aggressive online posts targeting Labour Party politicians. "He believes Western civilization is under threat," one source told the FT.
According to the newspaper, the billionaire is considering whether it would be possible to build support for an alternative political movement - such as the populist-right Reform UK party - and change the prime minister's position before the next elections.
In the UK's parliamentary political system, prime ministers hold office as they lead the party with the most members of parliament. In recent decades, several prime ministers have secured significant majorities in elections, but soon after, they had to step down due to waning support, the "FT" recalled.
Last week, Musk criticized the British authorities, demanding a national investigation into the cases of mass exploitation and rape of girls by gangs mainly 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 turned out that local authorities and services, which should have protected the victims - the police and social services, etc. - were passive, partly out of fear of being accused of racism.
Musk accused Starmer, who at the time was responsible for cases involving child sexual exploitation at the prosecutor's office, of sharing responsibility for the British "rape crisis." It criticized then-minister Jess Phillips, who rejected the Oldham city council's call for a national investigation into the rape gangs operating in the Manchester area, calling her a "genocide by rape apologist."
Starmer strongly rejected Musk's criticism. He stated that those who "spread lies and misinformation" are not interested in the victims but 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 donation from the billionaire to his party shortly. He 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.
"I'm not going to war with Musk"
Reform UK has gained increasing popularity in recent months. Public opinion polls suggest that 22% of the public supports it. The ruling Labour Party currently has 28% support, while the Conservatives have 24%.
On Tuesday, Farage downplayed the importance of his dispute with the billionaire in a radio interview. He stated 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.
