The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Monday called for the UK to summon its ambassador to the US after Elon Musk, an incoming US official, made inflammatory remarks suggesting the UK government should be overthrown.
Ed Davey rebuked Musk's criticism of Britain, accusing the tech billionaire of undermining UK democracy.
"People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country's democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain," Davey said.
The remarks follow months of tension between Musk and UK officials, beginning last summer when Musk claimed a "civil war is inevitable" in the UK.
His comments came in the wake of violent far-right riots sparked by stabbings of 3 young children in Southport on July 29. Misinformation spread and fueled by far-right accounts on social media, including false claims that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker, exacerbated the unrest.
On X, Musk's social media platform, Davey posted: "It's time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK government should be overthrown."
Earlier Monday, Musk had conducted a poll on X asking users if the US should "liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government." The poll garnered nearly 750,000 votes, with 61% responding "Yes."
Davey characterized Musk's rhetoric as "dangerous and irresponsible," further stating that it was "proof that the UK can't rely on the Trump administration."
"It's in our national interest to rebuild trade and security ties with our allies in Europe."
Musk has also used X to criticize the UK's Labour government and its response to historic child abuse scandals. Last week, he accused Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips of being a "rape genocide apologist" and called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be ousted and imprisoned for alleged failures in prosecuting grooming gangs.
Prime Minister Starmer addressed the issue indirectly during a news conference Monday, condemning the spread of misinformation and "far-right rhetoric."
