Musk Lashes Out At UK Government After Investment Summit Snub

Elon Musk has criticised the UK government after not being invited to its International Investment Summit of major investors to be held next month.

It is understood Musk was not invited due to his inflammatory social media posts during riots across the country last month.

“I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts,” Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, which he owns.

The post makes reference to the UK’s policy of releasing some prisoners early due to capacity issues.

War of words

The government said those serving sentences for sex offences will not be amongst those released.

At the same time it has been prosecuting people for online hate speech during the riots and handing out prison sentences.

Musk engaged in a war of words with senior British officials following the riots, as the government warned the world’s richest man over some of his online messages.

Musk wrote online that “civil war is inevitable” in the UK and shared, then deleted, a conspiracy theory about the UK building supposed detainment camps in the Falkland Islands for rioters.

The British government has called on Elon Musk to act responsibly over his tweets.

Prime minister Keir Starmer described the riots as “far-right thuggery”, while Justice minister Heidi Alexander said that Musk’s language was “in no way acceptable”.

“We are seeing police officers being seriously injured, buildings set alight, and so I really do think that everyone who has a platform should be exercising their power responsibly.”

Investment Summit

Musk’s comments were directly responsible for the decision not to invite him to the event, the BBC reported.

The previous government showed Musk several sites in the UK that could be suitable for a car or battery factory, the report said.

Musk was invited to last year’s investment summit but did not attend.

But he had a starring role at last year’s AI Summit, including a fireside chat with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Labour committed to hosting the investment summit within 100 days of taking office, meaning it must happen before the Budget on 30 October.

The timing has made it difficult for some executives to commit to attending as details have yet to be finalised, the Financial Times reported last week.

Venture capital

The event is to include representatives of large companies and sovereign wealth funds and focus on attracting a wide pool of high-calibre investors, including more Silicon Valley venture capitalists and Indian investors, the report said, citing an unnamed source.

Most cabinet ministers are expected to attend, and city mayors are to participate to underscore the government’s message about regional growth, according to the FT.

The day is reportedly to include plenary sessions with Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves and breakout discussions on topics such as artificial intelligence, technology, the green transition and business involvement with healthcare reform.

“The international investment summit will make clear the UK is open for business, and we are on track to deliver an ambitious programme with hundreds of attendees set to attend representing the best of business across the globe,” the government said.