Musk Mentions 'Minor Sexual Exploitation Case' and Targets Prime Minister Starmer, Former Director of Public Prosecutions
Prime Minister Starmer Calls It "False Information," Opposition Demands "Investigation"
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly opposed Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who has emerged as a key figure in the second Trump administration. Musk targeted the UK political situation by posting dozens of tweets on his X (formerly Twitter) account since the 2nd (local time), accusing the UK government of failing to respond to past cases of child sexual exploitation in the UK, which ultimately provoked Starmer's anger.
Earlier, Musk alleged a conspiracy, claiming that when Starmer was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), he did not properly investigate the case and covered it up, saying, "He was involved in the crime. It's despicable." He also criticized, "The Labour government is refusing a central-level inquiry."
According to foreign media including The Guardian on the 6th, Starmer refuted Musk's claims at a press conference, calling them "crossing the line with lies and misinformation." He criticized the Conservative Party, the main opposition party, saying, "Those who have been inactive while running the government for 14 years now chasing trends is intolerable," and accused them of "amplifying far-right claims." During this process, it was reported that Starmer abandoned his usual restraint and showed anger.
In response, Conservative Party leader Keir Baidenock rebutted on X, saying, "Starmer is repeating the Labour Party's slander tactics from 20 years ago," and urged, "Do not label those concerned about important issues as 'far-right.'"
Earlier, the Financial Times (FT) pointed out, "Starmer began prosecutions shortly after the case received attention and started reforming the investigation methods of sexual abuse cases to ensure more perpetrators face justice."
Musk has recently been directly influencing UK politics. Conservative figures have called for a full investigation into the case following Musk's posts. Additionally, the right-wing populist party Reform UK was in the process of developing relations with Musk, but noise arose when leader Nigel Farage expressed disagreement with some of Musk's claims.
Musk has continued provocative remarks that could be seen as interference in domestic affairs, such as urging an early UK general election and posting an online poll on X stating, "The US must liberate the British people from a dictatorial government."
The Guardian pointed out, "Musk's misinformation is intensifying hatred and threatening democracy," and noted, "Musk communicates with millions using X to influence media, MPs, and political parties, much like Trump once used Twitter." It also emphasized, "Musk's 'success' relies less on his exceptional talent and more on a vulnerable political and media environment," adding, "The UK is not yet like the US, where Trumpism's poison has contaminated the well, and must not be allowed to follow the same path."
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