Keir Starmer has accused Elon Musk, the world’s richest man of “spreading lies” and being “desperate for attention.”
A bold claim, indeed, from someone whose Labour cabinet craves attention with all the subtlety of a pub karaoke singer and whose grasp on the truth seems more distant than Neptune.
Starmer, who once boasted of relishing the “cut and thrust” of politics, now finds himself flailing with a rapier against Elon Musk—wielding the rhetorical equivalent of a lightsaber.
Now, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Musk—yes, that Elon Musk. And let me tell you, he’s the polar opposite of the attention-craving caricature Starmer paints. Picture the most unassuming, polite, and fiercely clever chap you’ve ever met, multiply it by ten, and you’ve got Elon. His whole raison d’être is not self-promotion, but saving the world—or at least giving it a damn good shot.
I first met Elon years ago in Los Angeles. After a Justin Timberlake concert (yes, really), we ended up at a swanky house in the Hollywood Hills. There we were, a group of us on a sprawling patio overlooking the glittering LA skyline, discussing terminal velocity of all things. Fueled by fine Californian wine, I foolishly thought I could outsmart him on the subject. “Elon, I think you’re mistaken,” I said, confidently. A friend of his quickly interjected, “He sold a patent to NASA for a billion dollars Claire—I think he knows more than you.” Touché. But Elon didn’t laugh me out of the conversation. He gently corrected me, and I learned more about physics in ten minutes than I did in all my school years.
This is the man Starmer accuses of being “desperate for attention.” The Elon I met was thoughtful, kind, and driven by a genuine desire to change the world for the better. He is a man who speaks his truth and doesn’t back down from it, even when it ruffles a few feathers now and then.
Now, what’s the crime Elon has supposedly committed? Criticising Keir Starmer and his Labour government for refusing to hold a public inquiry into the horrific grooming gangs scandal in Oldham. Let’s be clear: calling out this shameful decision is not “spreading lies.” It’s pointing out an injustice—a refusal to give victims the accountability they deserve. When Elon labelled the decision “disgraceful” and said the safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison,” it wasn’t because he’s desperate for attention. It’s because he, like many of us, believes that failing to address such a scandal is a betrayal of the victims.
But Starmer, ever the barrister, is trying to twist this into a morality play. “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation,” he thundered, “are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves.” Oh, the irony.
Elon Musk, a man who revolutionised electric vehicles, pioneered reusable rockets, and helped connect rural Ukraine to the internet during a war (AND remember, sold a patent to NASA for a billion bucks!), is somehow the self-serving one here? Meanwhile, Starmer continues to defend Ms. Phillips with all the righteous indignation of someone who knows he’s on shaky ground. “When the poison of the far Right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others,” he said, “a line has been crossed.”
No one condones threats or abuse, but let’s not confuse criticism of poor governance with extremism. What Starmer fails to grasp is that the backlash against his government’s inaction isn’t just coming from the so-called “far Right.” It’s coming from ordinary people, appalled at the refusal to confront one of the most egregious failures of recent history.
And as for Elon Musk suggesting that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”? It’s a tongue-in-cheek remark, clearly—but it’s also a damning reflection of how the world views this awful Labour government.
So, Keir, before you dismiss Elon as an attention-seeker, perhaps take a moment to reflect. Elon will be shaping the future of humanity long after you’ve become an ignoble footnote in the annals of British political history. Elon is not “desperate for attention”—he’s desperate for justice. And that, I dare say, is far more than can be said for you.
Claire Bullivant
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