Elon Musk’s beef with Britain isn’t (only) about politics. It’s about tech regulation

Experts suspect X owner’s interest in UK is to put pressure on authorities working to codify a new online safety law

For those wondering why Elon Musk, the tycoon newly infamous for his stiff-arm salutes, developed a sudden ferocious interest in the UK this month, the answer may lie in an arcane piece of online media legislation working its way gradually towards fruition.

In a ferocious flurry of tweets of his X platform this month, days before formally joining the Trump administration, the world’s richest man portrayed Britain as a dystopian “police state” run by a “tyrannical government” in which young working-class women are routinely kidnapped off the streets by gangs of immigrants.

Topics

What Elon Musk’s Salute Was All About

A gesture associated with the Nazis has a surprising history. But in Germany, there was little doubt about its meaning.
The New York Times - 1d
Inside Elon Musk's Attack on Germany's Political Establishment

The world’s richest man set out on a quest to boost the European powerhouse’s far-right opposition.
The Wall Street Journal - 2d
Elon Musk knows little about UK and Germany and should not interfere – poll

Exclusive: Majority polled by YouGov viewed billionaire negatively – except among Reform UK and AfD voters. Most people in the UK and Germany consider Elon Musk’s efforts to influence their ...
The Guardian - Jan. 17
Canada’s election is about to have an Elon Musk problem with Trudeau’s exit

The world’s richest man looks to move Canada to the right as the beleaguered prime minister prepares to depart. The decision by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau , this week to resign ...
The Guardian - Jan. 12
Ros Atkins on...Elon Musk's political interventions

The BBC's Analysis Editor looks at Elon Musk's involvement in politics outside the US.
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Elon Musk Is Roiling European Politics

The Trump ally has flooded X with posts criticizing European politicians, causing a diplomatic conundrum for the continent’s leaders.
The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 7
Elon Musk Is Posting Nonstop Falsehoods About 'Grooming Gangs'

Musk’s posts, which have racked up hundreds of millions of views on X, are his latest effort at inserting himself into UK politics.
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How Elon Musk Made the Las Vegas Bombing About His 'Badass Truck'

The confusing hours after the Tesla vehicle was apparently used as a makeshift bomb would be any brand’s reputational nightmare.
The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 2

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