Elon Musk sparked outrage by calling for the release of Tommy Robinson and criticizing Keir Starmer for failing to prosecute a child rapist in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Overnight, the billionaire ally of Donald Trump pinned the message “Free Tommy Robinson!” to the top of his X feed, tagging the far-right activist in jail for contempt of court. did.
As well as many messages in support of Robinson, Musk posted several times about the Rochdale and Oldham rape gangs and attacked the Prime Minister and Security Secretary Jess Phillips over their handling of the scandal.
Musk said in one post: “In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require approval from the Crown Prosecution Service for police to charge a suspect. When rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice, Who was the head of CPS? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013.”
He added that Ms Phillips “deserved to be in prison” after saying it was Oldham City Council, not central government, that was calling for an investigation into child exploitation.
In another article, he said: “The real reason she is refusing to investigate the rape gang is clearly because it would incriminate Keir Stamer (then Director of Public Prosecutions).”
Musk reposted several comments calling for the release of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who was jailed last October for repeating false claims about Syrian refugees.
Mr Musk’s recent meddling in British politics has sparked anger among Labor MPs, many of whom are calling on the government to stop posting to X.
Get the day’s headlines and highlights sent straight to your email each morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
The Tesla co-founder and X Company owner has repeatedly attacked Mr Starmer over the Prime Minister’s response to last summer’s British riots. He is reportedly considering donating up to $100m (£80m) to Reform Britain, and two weeks ago spoke with party leader Nigel Farage and treasurer Nick Candy. They are photographed together.
Musk’s overnight posts are his clearest show of support yet for the British far-right, and come after he pledged to support Germany’s anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany.
One congressman said, “[Musk]has gone too far this time. Twitter (now X) is really fast becoming a cesspool, even for disinterested independents.”
Several ministers said they believed this should be the catalyst for the government to move away from Musk’s platform. But some warn that doing so could create a diplomatic issue, given Musk’s role in the incoming Trump administration.
Downing Street declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Reform UK declined to say whether the billionaire’s support for Mr Robinson, who is at odds within the party, would change its willingness to accept Mr Robinson’s funding.
A spokesperson for Oldham City Council said: ‘Survivors are at the heart of our work to end child sexual exploitation and their wishes remain our priority, regardless of what happens with respect to any future investigations. We have promised to do so, and we will not break that promise.
“We all recognize that there have been terrible mistakes in the past where children have been ignored and ignored. By ensuring the voices of survivors are heard, we can ensure that children can prevent it from failing.”
