Elon Musk posted about race and immigration in the UK twice as often as he did about SpaceX in the run-up to the aerospace company's initial public offering, a Guardian analysis of his social media feed has found. Between 31 May and 12 June, Musk posted 303 times on the topic, almost three-quarters of which related to British politics, compared with just 114 posts about SpaceX.
The period was one of heightened tension in the UK, coinciding with the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa for the murder of teenager Henry Nowak, which led to claims of “anti-white” policing, and far-right protesters clashing with police. Violent riots also broke out in Belfast after a knife attack. Meanwhile, SpaceX began trading on the Nasdaq on 12 June, making Musk the world’s first trillionaire and raising $85.7bn (£56bn), more than the $75bn target.
Keir Starmer accused Musk of trying to incite division in British society. The prime minister said: “Musk again has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division. That is not who we are in Britain.” The night before the IPO, Musk reposted video of Rupert Lowe, leader of the far-right Restore Britain party, calling for the deportation of migrants who cannot support themselves.
Musk also focused heavily on the Nowak trial, posting up to five times in ten minutes on the subject. At least 20 of his posts were viewed 10 million times. He has also lent support to Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, appearing in a live stream at the activist’s Unite the Kingdom rally in 2025. At that event, Musk said: “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die,” a remark condemned by the British government.
The Guardian’s analysis of other periods of protest found that fewer than 7% of Musk’s posts concerned UK race and immigration politics during the 2024 summer riots, compared with 31% in the period around the SpaceX listing. The figures highlight the extent to which the world’s richest person has turned his attention to British politics.
