Britain wants to get close to Trump. Will Elon Musk stand in the way?

In early 2025, Keir Starmer's start was less than ideal. At the beginning of the new year, Elon Musk launched a series of angry remarks and accusations against the British Prime Minister on social media, plunging his government into a public feud. This incident presented an unexpected challenge to Starmer's administration.

In the following days, the world's richest man revived a thorny scandal from years past, concerning a sexual assault gang, and called for the release of imprisoned far-right agitator Tommy Robinson. Musk has also frequently posted or reposted content about UK child sex abuse cases on social media platform X, exceeding 50 times this week. His actions have sparked widespread attention.

Musk called for the removal of Starmer and his ministers responsible for safeguarding, demanding a new election, and even requested King Charles III unilaterally dissolve Parliament – something that hasn't happened in nearly two centuries and would trigger a constitutional crisis. These topics reflect Musk’s latest focus, but his discontent is not new. With Trump's inauguration approaching, the owner of X has increasingly intervened in European politics and openly praised far-right figures on the continent. He has repeatedly denounced EU institutions and policy decisions, and the Italian president has also warned him to stop interfering in the country's internal affairs.

Musk now presents new challenges to British political leaders. Starmer is struggling to appease Trump while simultaneously trying to contain the growing influence of the Reform UK party at home, a populist, anti-immigrant party that Musk has openly supported. And while Reform leader Nigel Farage had publicly sought Musk’s financial backing, on Sunday, Musk turned against him after Farage failed to support Musk's stance on Robinson.

The conflict between Musk and Starmer's Labour government did not begin this week. Previously, he had called the UK a "police state" for its crackdown on far-right thugs. He has long mocked Starmer on his platform and recently praised Reform UK. Since its founding in 2018, the party has capitalized on public discontent with the UK’s two major parties, rising to rival them in opinion polls. Musk has also provoked other European politicians; last week, the German government accused Musk of trying to influence the country's February elections by supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The party has been accused of reviving Nazi-era ideologies and slogans, and its youth organization has been designated an extremist group by German authorities.

Now, Musk’s growing obsession with Tommy Robinson has made the billionaire an icon within the UK's online far-right community. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October after admitting contempt of court for repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee. For most in Westminster, Musk’s anger—like much online abuse—remains just an interlude. One Labour MP told CNN that they “look forward to the great falling out between Musk and Trump.” The MP added that despite the use of Musk’s platform, they “noticed the usual energy from the right at the new year, they are frustrated. It’s unseemly, but that’s the nature of populism.” A few MPs have discussed whether they will stop using X over concerns about content moderation.

But privately, some Labour MPs are asking themselves the obvious question: why us? Unlike Germany, the UK does not have an upcoming parliamentary election, and Musk cannot exert influence through the ballot box. The UK's election is more than four years away, and the Labour government is relatively unpopular, but it is at least secure at the parliamentary level. For Starmer, Musk cannot be completely ignored. The Prime Minister has so far resisted engaging with Musk’s provocations—the billionaire has accused him of failing to act against sex assault gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions—but MPs will eventually want to see him take a stronger stance to protect his ministers from online abuse.

This week, Musk has repeatedly called for the imprisonment of Starmer’s safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips—on Saturday calling her “pure evil” and a “wicked creature”—because she prioritized a local inquiry in Oldham over a national one, a policy practice that is not a crime. “Musk and others must not be given an opportunity to undermine the government elected by the British people – only they can criticize,” another Labour MP told CNN. “It is clear that (his) growing interest in UK politics must be recognized, particularly given how social media is used to manipulate voters,” they added. Meanwhile, the US is the UK’s closest and most important ally—and Musk appears to be, at least for now, the closest and most important ally of the US's incoming leader.

Labour is desperate to establish trust with the Trump administration; being snubbed by the president-elect would only benefit Farage, and there is a huge economic incentive to work with Trump, for example, gaining exemptions from his tariff regime. Comments from Starmer’s ministers reflect this predicament. In a carefully worded comment, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told reporters on Friday: “I think some of Elon Musk’s criticisms are ill-advised and certainly ill-informed, but we are willing to work with Elon Musk, and I think he can play an important role on his social media platforms in helping us and other countries address this serious problem.”

It is not yet clear how much influence Musk will have on Trump’s decision-making—particularly on foreign policy, which is entirely outside his official remit as joint head of efficiency in the new administration. But his rhetoric has already had some impact in the UK—exposing fault lines in a deeply divided and unusually volatile political landscape. The opposition Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, reacted on X by calling for a “long overdue… full national inquiry into the rape gang scandal.” But her authority on the issue, like on many others, is limited by her own participation in a removed but deeply unpopular Conservative government. That government did commission a multi-year inquiry into child sexual abuse, which concluded in 2022. But the head of that inquiry subsequently criticized the former government’s response to her findings, which included a key recommendation that child sexual abuse must be mandatory to report.

The long shadow of the Conservative era has allowed Farage to successfully position his movement as the “real” opposition in the UK, and Musk’s growing interest in Reform UK has provided an opportunity for Farage to further elevate his position. The populist leader predictably condemned Badenoch’s comments and aligned himself with much of Musk’s rhetoric. He has openly talked about hoping to secure Musk’s financial support ahead of local elections in May, where Reform UK is expected to perform well. “He would help us enormously because he is a hero figure, particularly to young people who really admire the man,” Farage said on GB News on Friday, referring to Musk. “He is helping us because he is showing us how we did it in America. That’s very useful for us.”

But there are also dangers for the UK's populist agitator. Echoing Musk's support for Robinson was a step too far for Farage, who told GB News: “[Musk] thinks that Robinson is one of those people who has been fighting against the rape gangs. But of course, the truth is that Tommy Robinson went to prison not for that, but for contempt of court.” “We are a party that is aiming to win the next general election. He is not what we need,” Farage said of Robinson. Soon after, Musk appeared to have turned his back on the leader. “Reform UK needs a new leader. Farage does not have what it takes,” Musk posted on Sunday. “Well that’s a surprise! Elon is a brilliant man, but on this, I’m afraid I disagree,” Farage responded. “My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not suitable for Reform and I will never sell my principles out.”

For the leaders of Britain's ideologically divided politics, Musk presents a mix of opportunities and risks. His penchant for flattering far-right figures will not gain much traction in a country that does not have a significant far-right political movement like some in Europe—a fact that Farage will remember, even as he continues to court the American tycoon's financial support. But in government, publicly snubbing Musk is not yet an option. The delicate nature of Starmer’s relationship with Trump may depend on keeping the billionaire at arm's length—for as long as that remains possible.