Elon Musk's UK Criticism Sparks Debate Amid Tech Summit Controversy

Investors do not share Elon Musk's negative view of UK, says Keir Starmer

Prime minister hits back in spat over tech entrepreneur's non-invitation to British investment summit Keir Starmer has pushed back against Elon Musk's jibes at the UK for "releasing paedophiles" after the billionaire was not invited to the government's investment summit, saying other business leaders do not share his negative view of Britain. The prime minister said a representative of Musk's SpaceX had been invited to the summit, due to take place in October, and that Musk's comments were "in stark contrast to the very strong view" from other investors that the summit was worth attending. The spat began after Musk wrote on X on Thursday: "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts." He seemed to be referring to the prison early release scheme, initiated by the Labour government to ease pressure on a system it has said is "on the point of collapse" due to a lack of capacity. The billionaire owner of X has used the platform previously to suggest civil war in Britain was "inevitable", and to criticise Starmer as rioting broke out after disinformation spread about the killing of three children in Southport. Musk was invited to a previous summit held by the former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak. He took centre stage at the UK summit on AI last November where Sunak flattered the businessman during a 40-minute in-person conversation. During his trip to New York, where he met business leaders in private equity and finance, Starmer said of Musk: "What he said is in stark contrast to the very strong view around the breakfast table this morning by investors, nearly all of whom are coming to the investment summit ... They described this morning's meeting with the UK as the best of the meetings they've had this week at the UN general assembly." He said the business leaders believed "that there's really strong window of opportunity now with the UK, given the changes we've brought about" over the wealth fund and the industrial strategy. He added: "So I'm listening good and hard to what they have to say, because they will be attending the summit, and many of them are already investing in the UK." He said that on Musk's companies, he encouraged investment from anywhere. "Good investment into the UK is what I'm very, very keen to promote ... Every time I'm abroad, every time on an international trip, we do these investment breakfasts, because I'm absolutely determined to get the investment that we needed into the economy. And I do think we've got a real opportunity with a new chapter now." Musk's attitude towards the UK appears to have changed since his trip for the AI summit as he has shifted increasingly to the right in the US and emerged as a supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In August, Musk shared a fake news article purporting to be from the Daily Telegraph, which claimed Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to "emergency detainment camps" in the Falklands. Musk deleted his post after about 30 minutes but a screenshot captured by Politics.co.uk suggested it had garnered nearly 2m views before it was deleted.

Elon Musk row: PM would welcome Tesla investment

He added: "Good investment into the UK is what I'm very, very keen to promote." Sir Keir made his comments while speaking to journalists on his recent visit to New York, where he addressed the United Nations and met with Donald Trump and US business leaders. "Every time I'm abroad, every time on an international trip, we do these investment breakfasts, because I'm absolutely determined to get the investment that we needed into the economy. "And I do think we've got a real opportunity with a new chapter now," he said. The summit next month is the key moment that the prime minister hopes will drive tens of billions of pounds in inward funding for business from the world's biggest investors. Mr Musk was invited to last year's event but did not attend. However, he took a starring role in November's artificial intelligence (AI) Summit, including a fireside chat with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak. Jeremy Hunt, the former Conservative chancellor and now the shadow chancellor, told the BBC it was a "big loss" not to have Mr Musk at the summit. "He told me last year he was planning a new car plant in Europe and had not decided where but the UK was a candidate," Mr Hunt claimed. Mr Musk lashed out on social media after reports that he had not been invited to the UK government's International Investment Summit. "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts," Mr Musk claimed on X. Following disorder and rioting across the UK in August, some people were jailed for encouraging unrest on social media. During the August riots, Mr Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, predicting civil war in the UK and repeatedly attacking the prime minister. He also shared, and later deleted, a conspiracy theory about the UK building "detainment camps" on the Falkland Islands for rioters. At the time, ministers said his comments were "totally unjustifiable" and "pretty deplorable".

Elon Musk hits back at UK government over lack of invite to tech summit

X owner says people shouldn't go to UK when 'they're releasing convicted pedophiles', referring to prison early release scheme Elon Musk has hit back at the UK government after he was not invited to an international investment summit as a result of his social media posts during the riots last month. Musk said on X on Thursday: "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts." He was apparently referring to the prison early release scheme, initiated by the Labour government, which has said the system is "on the point of collapse" due to a lack of prison places. The billionaire owner of X has used the platform to suggest that civil war in Britain was "inevitable", and to criticise Keir Starmer after rioting broke out following the killing of three children in Southport. Ministers initially said the early release scheme would not apply to the most serious offenders, but later confirmed that prisoners who have completed a sentence for a serious crime and are now serving a consecutive sentence for a lesser one would qualify. But sex offenders are excluded from the early release programme. Musk's latest broadside comes after it emerged he is not invited to a global investment summit in Britain on 14 October. The government hopes the event will be a boost for investment in the UK two weeks before the autumn budget. Government sources confirmed Musk was not invited. Musk took centre stage in November last year at a UK summit on AI where the then Conservative prime minister, Rishi Sunak, played the role of a chatshow host and flattered the entrepreneur during a 40-minute in-person conversation. However, Musk's attitude towards the UK has changed since then as he has shifted increasingly to the right in the US where he has emerged as a supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In August, Musk shared a fake Telegraph article claiming Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to "emergency detainment camps" in the Falklands. Musk deleted his post after about 30 minutes but a screenshot captured by politics.co.uk suggested it had garnered nearly 2m views before it was deleted. In the post, Musk shared the image posted by Ashlea Simon, the co-leader of the far-right group Britain First, which she captioned: "We're all being deported to the Falklands." Musk was responding on Thursday to a tweet by Mario Nawfal, a self-described "founder and investor", who has emerged as a would-be influencer on X since Musk's takeover of Twitter. Citing the BBC as a source, Nawful had tweeted: "UK snubs Elon because he criticised oppression of free speech." Companies including BNY, Blackstone and CyrusOne have all confirmed attendance to the event, according to the UK Treasury. The event was confirmed last month by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, as an opportunity for up to 300 senior business figures hosted by the prime minister.

No Musk, more sponsors: UK races to finalise investment summit

Elon Musk hit out at the UK after he was not invited to the country's international investment summit next month -- but the ire of the world's richest man is not the only hurdle organisers must contend with. With less than three weeks to go until the October 14 event, officials have been finalising a list of blue-chip sponsors, while chief executives say that scant details about the conference make it hard to commit to attending. A selection of Britain's biggest businesses have been asked to pay up to £250,000 to back Sir Keir Starmer's pitch to global executives to pump more capital into the UK, according to people who were approached. Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group sponsored last year's summit hosted by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, paying about £250,000 each. Banks and other businesses have again been approached to cover costs that would otherwise be borne by the taxpayer. Yet some potential backers have been frustrated by the lack of a detailed agenda, and a shortage of information about what they would receive in return for their investment, people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. "We still don't know what we would get for the money," said a senior executive of one company approached to sponsor the event. "How can you commit without even a basic level of detail?" Asked whether he would be interested in spending £250,000 for sponsorship, one Labour donor who runs a business said: "It doesn't sound like much of an investment to me." But other prospective sponsors are more positive. Some companies expect to pay £175,000, with one person familiar with the matter suggesting the price could be lower this year as the package does not include speaking slots. However, organisers expect to easily raise enough money because of the number of sponsors attracted, said some of the people involved in discussions about the summit. Businesses do not have full details of whether other companies are being offered different sponsorship packages or rates, another said. Concerns about the international summit also include the timing: because Labour pledged to hold the summit within 100 days of taking office, it must happen before the Budget on October 30. This means chief executives will be having discussions without knowing the UK's tax plans. With the summit fast approaching, bosses remain uncertain about the government's ability to showcase the UK as an investment destination just three months after taking office. Hesitation extends to business leaders who have been invited, even if they have not been asked to sponsor. "How can I advise our CEO to fly to London for a day when we don't really know what access they will have or what exactly the event entails?" asked one senior corporate figure. Officials hope to finalise the guest list in the coming days. Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon is among the executives attending, although Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman and JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon have prior commitments and will send senior colleagues instead. Both men have met top Labour government figures since July's election. Musk, who had a leading role in the last government's AI summit, took to social media site X after not being invited to the event. "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts," wrote Musk -- a reference to the UK's policy of releasing some prisoners early because of capacity issues, while also convicting people who spread online hate during the summer's riots. The government has said those serving sentences for sex offences would not be among those released. Organisers are confident of putting on a high quality event but accept that communication with companies could have been better, said one person familiar with the planning. Others noted that there was similar gloominess before last year's event at Hampton Court Palace, which was ultimately regarded by Tory ministers as a success, despite some grumbles about cold temperatures at the venue. This year will see representatives from large companies and sovereign wealth funds, and a focus on attracting a wide pool of high calibre investors, including more San Francisco venture capitalists and Indian investors, said the person familiar with the planning. Most cabinet ministers will attend, the person added, while metro mayors will also participate to underline the government's message about regional growth. Extra information was sent to invitees this week, with the day set to include plenary sessions with Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves. Ministers will then lead breakout discussions on topics such as artificial intelligence, technology, the green transition and how business can be involved in healthcare reform, the person said. The programme's focus will be on key sectors and on blockers of investment rather than on tax. A government spokesperson said: "The international investment summit will make clear the UK is open for business, and we are on track to deliver an ambitious programme with hundreds of attendees set to attend representing the best of business across the globe."

Elon Musk lashes out at UK after hearing he isn't invited to tech conference

Elon Musk has lashed out at the UK after reports he had been snubbed by a government investment summit. The tech billionaire hasn't been invited to the summit next month after his posts on his X platform regarding the violent riots in the UK last month, according to a BBC report. In response, he made the inaccurate claim that the government was releasing convicted paedophiles to allow for the imprisonment of people over social media posts. "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts," Mr Musk said on X, in response to a post on the report. His comments appear to be a reference to the government's early release scheme, which saw more than 1,700 prisoners released early this month. Read more: Dozens let out of prison under emergency release scheme were freed by mistake It was an effort by the prime minister to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Those serving sentences for sex offences were not included in the scheme. During the riots that shook the UK in August, Mr Musk, who has nearly 200 million followers on X, sent a series of posts on X, including one saying civil war was "inevitable". He was quickly criticised by the government and others. Sir Keir Starmer's team said at the time there was "no justification" for such comments. Read more from Sky News: Train passengers receive Islamophobic messages after cyber attack Musk denies 'romantic relationship' with Italian PM Meloni 'We're already at war', Lebanese minister says More than 1,000 arrests have been made in relation to the riots, and some people have been jailed for stirring up racial hatred on social media. The investment summit next month is designed to attract investors to the UK economy and will see leaders from global tech and financial groups attend. Mr Musk was last publicly seen in London in November 2023, when he attended the AI Safety Summit before being interviewed by then-Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury did not respond to requests for comment on either the BBC report or Musk's response.

Musk snubbed by Starmer over 'deplorable' civil war claims

World's richest man not invited to International Investment Summit over his role in spreading misinformation in the wake of August riots Alex Barton 26 September 2024 8:38am Elon Musk has been excluded from the Government's upcoming investment summit following "deplorable" claims that Britain was sliding into civil war. The world's richest man has not been invited to the International Investment Summit next month, in response to his social media posts during the Southport riots this summer. The tech entrepreneur posted on X predicting civil war and repeatedly attacked the Prime Minister in comments that were described as "deplorable" by ministers. During the riots, Mr Musk also spread misinformation and conspiracy theories including that the UK was building detainment camps on the Falkland Islands as a means of detaining rioters. "Keir Starmer considering building 'emergency detainment camps' on the Falkland Islands," the fake Telegraph headline read. Beneath it, the subheading said: "The camps would be used to detain prisoners from the ongoing riots as the British prison system is already at capacity." Mr Musk later deleted the reposted tweet to his 193 million followers after backlash. The summit on Oct 14 is regarded as a key moment for the Government to secure foreign investment, with Sir Keir Starmer hoping to attract tens of billions in inward funding from the world's biggest investors. Mr Musk went to last year's event and attended November's AI Summit, including a fireside talk with Rishi Sunak, the then prime minister. Under the Conservatives, Mr Musk - who owns or runs X, Tesla and SpaceX - was shown around several UK sites with potential for a gigafactory for cars and batteries. He previously said that he opened a site in Germany and not the UK partly because of Brexit. Under Mr Musk's ownership the social media site formerly known as Twitter has lifted a ban on far-Right figures including on the Britain First group. The UK is considering a tougher Online Safety Act, after the role of misinformation in the widespread racist disorder in August. The Government and Mr Musk were contacted for comment.

Elon Musk not invited to top UK investment summit

The world's richest person, Elon Musk, has not been invited to the UK government's International Investment Summit in response to his social media posts during last month's riots, the BBC understands. Violence spread across the UK after a stabbing attack in Southport, in which three children attending a dance class were killed. The tech entrepreneur posted on X, formerly Twitter, predicting civil war in the UK and repeatedly attacking the prime minister. The summit in October is the key moment that PM Keir Starmer hopes to attract tens of billions in inward funding for business from the world's biggest investors. Mr Musk went to last year's event and took a starring role in November's AI Summit, including a fireside chat with then PM Rishi Sunak. The government and Mr Musk have been approached for comment.

Elon Musk Slams UK Government For Releasing 'Convicted Pedophiles' After Being Reportedly Banned From Investment Summit

Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest individual, has been left out of the UK government's International Investment Summit due to his social media activity during recent riots. What Happened: The summit, scheduled for October, is a significant event where Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to secure substantial foreign investments. Musk's exclusion follows his posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he predicted civil war in the UK and criticized the prime minister, reported BBC. Responding to the report, Musk said, "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts." During the August riots, Musk also shared, and later removed, a conspiracy theory about the UK establishing "detainment camps" on the Falkland Islands for rioters. Government ministers according to the report condemned his remarks as "totally unjustifiable" and "pretty deplorable." Musk was invited to last year's summit but did not attend. He did, however, participate in November's AI Summit, engaging in a fireside chat with then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The summit comes just two weeks before the budget, presenting a crucial opportunity for the UK to attract foreign investment. The Labour Party had pledged to hold this event within its first 100 days in office. See Also: Elon Musk Agrees With Jamie Dimon: 'If You Do Not Control The Borders, You Are Going To Destroy Our Country' Why It Matters: Musk's exclusion from the summit is not an isolated incident. Recently, Brazil's Supreme Court fined his social media platform X nearly $1 million daily for defying a ban. The court accused Musk of attempting to bypass the ban by switching X's network provider, part of broader efforts to "clean up the internet." Additionally, Musk's controversial posts have led to a significant decline in active users on X, especially in the UK. According to the Financial Times, active daily users in the UK have decreased from 8 million to around 5.6 million in the past year, with a noticeable drop following Musk's controversial posts during the summer riots. Moreover, the UK parliament plans to summon Musk to provide evidence about how X is run. Labour politician Dawn Butler aims to examine the use of algorithms in pushing hateful material and the moderation of such content on X. Musk has stated that X intends to obey the law in each jurisdiction it operates in, while also championing free speech. In a podcast appearance, he emphasized that those who propagate false premises might fear public dialogue that could undermine their assertions. Read Next: Elon Musk's Little Sister Says Prices Skyrocket When People Find Out She's Related To The Richest Man In The World - Once Charged $20,000 More Image Via Shutterstock This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs