Investors do not share Elon Musk’s negative view of UK, says Keir Starmer
GuardianSEP 2024
Report: UK Parliamentary Committee to Summon Musk to Misinformation Inquiry
Above: Elon Musk speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Oct. 27, 2024. Image copyright: Jabin Botsford/Contributor/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Musk is only a champion of freedom of speech when it suits him, on the one hand spewing disinformation on his right-wing propaganda platform while on the other censoring pro-democracy dissidents on behalf of authoritarian states. While poking the bear may be dangerous, it's clear that Musk's incitement of unrest in the UK this summer went too far. The UK must stand up to Musk and remind the tech mogul that, despite what he may think, his words do have consequences.
Right narrative
The UK's crusade against Musk's free speech advocacy is unlikely to end well. The UK government's increasingly hostile approach to personal autonomy is self-evident, and their failed attempts to shut down the ultra-popular tech pioneer is a bad look. Committees can threaten to summon him and Labour activists can propose legal action all they like, but Musk has done no wrong for having a difference of opinion with Starmer's woke premiership.