Elon Musk criticizes UK after exclusion from Int’ investment summit
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has publicly criticized the UK government after being excluded from its upcoming International Investment Summit. The BBC reports that Musk was not invited due to his controversial social media posts during the riots in the UK last month.
In response, Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns, saying, “I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts.” His comments referred to the UK government’s recent decision to release some prisoners to reduce overcrowding, though no individuals convicted of sex offenses were included. Musk also criticized the government for jailing people who encouraged unrest on social media during the riots in August.
The unrest, which spread across the UK, followed a stabbing incident in Southport that resulted in the deaths of three children. During the riots, Musk had shared, and later deleted, conspiracy theories about the UK government building “detainment camps” on the Falkland Islands for rioters, leading to sharp criticism from UK ministers who labeled his comments as “deplorable.”
The summit, scheduled for October, is a key event where Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hopes to attract billions in foreign investment. While Musk was invited to last year’s summit, he chose not to attend. However, he played a prominent role at the AI Summit in November, including a discussion with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The government declined to comment on Musk’s exclusion from the event, but former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt described it as a “big loss.” Hunt added that Musk had previously expressed interest in establishing a new car plant in Europe, with the UK as a potential candidate.
Sources suggest that Musk’s exclusion is linked to concerns about the reputational risk his presence might pose. However, Musk’s absence raises broader questions about the background of other investors the UK is courting, particularly as the government seeks to attract sovereign wealth funds from nations with questionable human rights records.
Despite his exclusion, Musk continues to explore options for a second European gigafactory, with the UK previously being considered under the Conservative government. He has also been a regular attendee at French investment summits, recently meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. The Labour government, which committed to holding this investment summit within its first 100 days, hopes it will be a significant opportunity to boost the UK economy, especially as it approaches the budget announcement in two weeks.
