Opinion | Why Is UK PM Starmer So Upset With Elon Musk?
Less than a year ago, tech billionaire Elon Musk was Britain's star guest at a conference, with the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, playing the role of a fawning interviewer to the world's richest man. A year on, things have changed in Britain. The Labour government, which came to power in July, has decided not to invite Musk to a mega investment summit to be held in London on October 14.
The Tesla and X boss ostensibly did not like the snub and hit back at the UK government with full force, urging the guests not to go to the UK. "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," he said when he learnt he was not invited.
It is true that many prisoners have been released recently under a government scheme to decongest overcrowded British jails. But there is no evidence to suggest that sex offenders or paedophiles were let out. Musk's tweets have sparked controversy and raised concerns about the spread of misinformation, with the British media reminding the tech billionaire of his recent acts of "spreading disinformation" about the UK. A few weeks ago, Musk shared a baseless report that the UK was building internment camps in the Falkland Islands for rioters, though he swiftly deleted the tweet after facing backlash.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed Musk's latest provocative comments during his recent visit to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Dismissing them as being vastly different from the positive feedback received from investors, Starmer claimed that the latter have expressed strong interest in attending and that they praised their meeting with the UK government as the best they've had.
The summit - in its third edition since 2021 - aims to attract significant investment to drive economic growth, a top priority for the Labour government. According to a government release, last year's meeting generated a promise of nearly £30 billion of investment. This year, as........
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