Musk urges release of far-right UK figure; blasts PM Starmer

Elon Musk has called for the U.K. to release far-right activist Tommy Robinson in a flurry of social media posts which also reignited his online feud with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The X CEO, who is a key figure in President-elect Donald Trump's inner circle, said Thursday morning that British authorities should “free Tommy Robinson”.

Robinson, who founded the far-right English Defense League was sentenced in October 2024 to a year and a half in prison for violating a court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee.

Musk also reposted messages claiming that Robinson was a “political prisoner”

The U.K. police blamed Robinson's English Defense League for helping ignite what became a week of rioting across England and Northern Ireland after social media users falsely identified the suspect in a stabbing rampage as an immigrant and a Muslim. The actual suspect in the attack, which killed three young girls in the seaside community of Southport, was a 17-year-old born in the U.K.

In subsequent tweets, Musk also criticized Starmer’s past as Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions, pointing to grooming scandals in the country that were uncovered in 2013. He added that “only” Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party can “save” Britain.

“In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service’s approval for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013,” Musk wrote on X.

As the director of public prosecutions, Starmer in 2013 called for an overhaul of the way that sexual abuse is investigated in the U.K.

The Hill has reached out to Downing Street and the Home Office for comment.

Musk has in recent months ramped up his criticism of the U.K. and the Labour government, led by Starmer, calling for fresh elections in the country. However, Starmer, who won a landslide election just six months ago, doesn’t need to call one until 2029.

The prime minister's office in August last year also hit back at Musk’s comments over violent unrest in Northern England and pushed back on his statement that “civil war is inevitable.”

Musk called the U.K. a “tyrannical police state” as the country grappled with violent unrest. He also said on X that the U.K.'s “current administration” was responsible for stopping cash coming into the country.

Musk was spotted alongside Farage at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago estate in December. Farage told journalists that Musk could potentially donate to his Reform U.K. party which British media reports suggest could be as much as $100 million.

However, it's not just the U.K. that the billionaire has recently criticized on his social media platform.

The Tesla CEO has also recently come under fire by the German government who on Monday accused the billionaire of trying to influence its February election after he penned an op-ed backing the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The AP contributed to this report.