The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has called on ministers to block Tesla's application to supply electricity to British homes, arguing that granting the licence would pose a national security risk.
In a letter to the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, Sir Ed cited Elon Musk's social media posts appearing to encourage violence during last summer's riots, as well as reported contacts with Vladimir Putin and his handling of the Starlink satellite service. He said allowing the US electric car maker to enter the UK energy market would be "a security, as well as a diplomatic, disaster".
Tesla applied to the regulator Ofgem in July for a licence to supply power to domestic customers. If approved, it could compete with suppliers such as British Gas and Octopus as early as next year. The deadline for Ofgem to consider feedback is Friday 22 August, with more than 8,000 people having written to object following a campaign by Best for Britain.
Sir Ed accused Mr Musk of "peddling misinformation to millions" and noted that the Home Office had been monitoring the billionaire's social media posts as a possible security risk. He urged the government to examine the application under national security laws, saying failure to act would suggest it was "more worried about upsetting Elon Musk than standing up for Britain".
Tesla's European sales have fallen sharply amid a backlash over Mr Musk's support for right-wing politicians and growing competition from rivals such as China's BYD. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment on the letter.
