Elon Musk Pledges to Summon British MPs to the US
Facts
- Tensions between Elon Musk and the UK's ruling Labour Party have further escalated, with the X and Tesla CEO warning that British members of parliament would 'be summoned to the United States of America to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens.'[1][2]
- The man tapped to lead the yet-to-be established US Department of Government Efficiency made the comments in response to political pundit Ian Miles Cheong's claims on X that plans for a House of Commons select committee to summon the billionaire to testify were 'a trap.'[3][4][5]
- This comes as the newly appointed Commons' Science, Innovation and Technology Committee launched a new inquiry into the role of tech firms in riots last summer, with first sessions expected to take place next year.[6][7]
- Chair Chi Onwurah has expressed a desire to call in the X owner to answer questions on his views on free speech and misinformation, as well as on how his platform dealt with disinformation during the unrest.[3][8]
- Senior executives from Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta, along with TikTok, are also expected to be called to give evidence to the select committee. UK parliamentary rules state that committees and subcommittees have the power to formally 'send for persons, papers and records.' While committees in each House can ordinarily report contempt if a witness refuses to attend, they can't force overseas individuals to give evidence.[7][2][9]
- Musk has vocally criticized UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, even saying that his government has gone 'full Stalin' over new inheritance tax plans. Meanwhile, Starmer has declined to say whether he would follow advice from Labour fellow Lord Mandelson to end his feud with Musk.[10][11]
Sources: [1]Elon Musk on X, [2]Daily Mail, [3]Guardian, [4]GB News, [5]The Hill, [6]Committees, [7]Independent, [8]POLITICO, [9]Verity, [10]Express and [11]The Telegraph.
Narratives
- Right narrative, as provided by Spectator (UK) and Newsweek. This crusade against Musk's free speech advocacy is unlikely to end well for the UK government. That 10 Downing St. has been increasingly hostile to civil rights is self-evident, and its failed attempts to shut down the ultra-popular tech pioneer is a bad look. Committees can threaten to summon him, and Labour activists can propose legal action all they like, but Musk has done nothing wrong in criticising Starmer's woke premiership.
- Left narrative, as provided by Guardian and Inews.Co.Uk. Musk is only a champion of freedom of speech when it suits him, on the one hand spewing disinformation on his right-wing propaganda platform while on the other censoring pro-democracy dissidents on behalf of authoritarian states. It's clear that he went too far inciting unrest in the UK this summer. The UK must stand up to Musk and remind the tech mogul that, despite what he may think, his words do have consequences.