Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Alamy Stock Photo

Opinion Elon Musk interfering in UK politics was not on our 2025 bingo card

Peter Flanagan examines a bizarre week in global politics when the world’s richest man threw his weight around.

IT’S GREAT FUN being a billionaire in America. While the rest of us rely on television or video games to unwind in the evening, Elon Musk has taken to interfering in Western democracies for sport.

A real life comic book character, he’s become the answer to the question – what would Tony Stark be like if he grew up in apartheid South Africa and took ketamine? It’s not a pretty sight. 

After turning Twitter into his personal fiefdom and linking arms with Donald Trump on his march towards the Presidency, Musk started looking around for his next great wheeze. Much to the delight of men who live in their mother’s basements everywhere, he decided to try to topple the UK government.

His vendetta against Keir Starmer started sometime last year when he shared an online petition calling for another general election. The petition – which was started by a pub landlord in Shropshire who typed the words ‘how to change the Prime Minister’ into Google – ended up with millions of signatures. 

london-uk-4th-dec-2024-kier-starmer-prime-minister-leaves-10-downing-street-for-pmqs-london-uk-credit-ian-davidsonalamy-live-news Kier Starmer, UK Prime Minister. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Since then, he’s become fixated on the groups of men – primarily of Pakistani descent – who groomed and raped mainly young white women in towns and cities around Britain. Far-right conspiracy theories allege there’s been a cover-up. This line has been parroted by Musk in a series of wild posts on X, accusing the Prime Minister of being ‘complicit’ in the rape of Britain and even calling Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, ‘a rape genocide apologist’. 

Political interference

The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs has been covered on the front pages of newspapers, television dramas and social media for over a decade now. There have been hundreds of arrests with multiple convictions, while many investigations are still ongoing.

Yet, Musk believes that the world needs him to wade in and shine a light on the scandal. He apparently only stumbled upon the story while doom strolling over Christmas, like a horse tranquilliser-addled Grinch.

screen-grab-of-conservative-party-leader-kemi-badenoch-speaking-during-prime-ministers-questions-in-the-house-of-commons-london-picture-date-wednesday-january-8-2025 Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch speaking during Prime Minister's Questions. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The tycoon reportedly thinks that the fate of Western civilisation is at stake, so he’s been speaking to allies about how to destabilise the Labour Party and back an alternative right-wing movement in the UK. Smelling blood in the water, the Tories have weighed in behind him. Leader Kemi Badenoch has regurgitated the accusations in parliament, for which Musk has called her ‘brave and true’. The pair are either unaware or wilfully ignoring the fact that the previous Conservative government already had an inquiry but took no concrete action on the findings. 

Badenoch, in case you missed it, is Rishi Sunak’s replacement. Her party were told to ‘be more normal’ if they wanted to find a path back to power, but under her leadership they’ve doubled down on being balls-to-the-wall weird. This is a woman who claimed that while she comes from a middle-class family, as a teenager she worked in McDonald’s therefore ‘became working class’. Like the time I ate a Ferraro Rocher and became an Italian aristocrat.  

Spare a thought for Nigel Farage, who must be feeling a little jilted by Badenoch’s budding love affair with the world’s richest man. There had been rumours that Musk was looking at a massive $100 million donation to Reform UK. But Musk has since posted that the party needs a new leader and that ‘Farage doesn’t have what it takes’. Ouch.

reform-uk-leader-nigel-farage-during-an-appearance-on-lbcs-nick-ferrari-at-breakfast-show-at-the-global-studios-in-london-picture-date-tuesday-january-7-2025 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during an appearance on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast show. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

They seem to have fallen out over the South African mogul’s support for Tommy Robinson, the football hooligan turned far-right activist who is currently in jail for contempt of court. Spineless in the face of Musk’s wealth and influence, Farage is still planning to attend Trump’s inauguration, having no doubt already spent a small fortune on fake tan for the occasion. Lizard tangerine is the colour he’s been going for lately. 

The Tesla owner’s dramatic meddling in British politics couldn’t come at a worse time for Starmer. His approval ratings were already at Liz Truss levels. He wasn’t straight with people during the election campaign about the painful fiscal decisions Labour would need to take in office. The government have so far picked fights with pensioners, farmers and Waspi women, with more battles still to come.

Whoever ends up being Labour’s main opponent in the next election, it should not be this easy for foreign billionaires to distract, influence and manipulate our public officials. Here on planet Earth, people are still struggling with the cost of living, housing and healthcare. We need our politicians to be focused on the issues that matter most to us, not the erratic whims of a megalomaniac desperate to find meaning in his life.  

Peter Flanagan is an Irish comedian and writer. You can find him on Twitter @peterflanagan and Instagram @peterflanagancomedy.       

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
70 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute TOP CAT
    Favourite TOP CAT
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 7:51 AM

    I hope the Dog is ok???.
    I presume he was given a Tetanus shot after biting them $cum….

    500
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Debi-Nikita Rathbone-Rentzke
    Favourite Debi-Nikita Rathbone-Rentzke
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:24 AM

    That’s what these dogs are trained to do in unruly situations. Protecting their handlers is a natural instinct and to do the job that they are trained to do.
    I hope that the dog isn’t punished and put down or carted off to some unknown place and used as a ‘guard dog’ to patrol some dump!

    238
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Vera Dawber Power
    Favourite Vera Dawber Power
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:14 AM

    ‘ Atta Boy….good doggie. LOL .

    195
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Bass
    Favourite Brian Bass
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:05 AM

    Ruff day at the office

    110
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Animal
    Favourite The Animal
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:12 AM

    Bite first…. Ask questions later….!

    98
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe Hill
    Favourite Joe Hill
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:56 AM

    Imagine what the poor staff are subjected to on occasions like that reported. Maybe they should all be issued with a police dog?

    71
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Devlin
    Favourite Paul Devlin
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:38 AM

    People in the south don’t know how lucky they are not having to deal with thousands of these marches every year. Fascist nutjobs and their pisshead hangers on cause chaos everywhere they go and everyone has to put up with it because it’s supposed to be traditional. These people are less than 10% of the population but they hold everyone else hostage. Total joke!

    55
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Roland 303
    Favourite Roland 303
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 11:32 AM

    Flegs and marches and buckfast and drugs. Sure it’s their TRADITION!!!

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute CPC7
    Favourite CPC7
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:35 AM

    ‘Dog bites man’, not a story. ‘Man bites dog’, now that would be a story…

    54
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Keelty
    Favourite Brian Keelty
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 11:48 AM

    “Man bites dog” is a film…… dark dark film

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Caolán McKenna
    Favourite Caolán McKenna
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:02 AM

    Incidentally the media are not mentioning that yesterday was the ‘start’ of the marching season, so thousands of drunken loyalists were probably roaming the streets. And I love when they say the start of the season as if we ever get even a month’s break from the drivel.

    50
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ipsum oleum
    Favourite ipsum oleum
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:11 AM

    Is the incident out on video yet ? Its always so disappointing when you see police dogs in action on TV and they aren’t allowed to bite the bum off a crim.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Ward
    Favourite John Ward
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:05 AM

    A snap decision, I presume!

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute AICS (Steve Tracey)
    Favourite AICS (Steve Tracey)
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 5:46 PM

    The only real question is were those bitten taking part in the disorder or just caught up at the start and hadn’t time or opportunity to get away. If first then good, it’s not a news item. If the latter then possibly questions should be asked ref the control the handler had on his/her dog.
    Be very surprised if they were innocent as generally muzzles don’t come off until its clear that innocents are cleat and dogs are kept close to the handler and a distance away.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Frank
    Favourite Frank
    Report
    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:00 AM

    II hope they sue the police for damages.

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds