Elon Musk is a threat to European democracy. Numerous politicians in Germany, Britain and elsewhere have said so, including most recently the Mayor of London, who wrote that ‘A billionaire bully shouldn’t be able to use his social media platform as a propaganda tool to amplify lies and advance the cause of the far right.’

This has become a concern ever since Musk began obsessively tweeting about British politics, alerted first to the jail sentences over social media posts and then the grooming gangs scandal, and launching his one-man campaign against Keir Starmer. To make things worse, there have even been suggestions that the South African-born billionaire might give $100 million to the Reform Party, before he decided that Nigel Farage needed to be overthrown (I think they’re friends again – I can’t keep up). He has also taken an interest in German politics, tweeting in support of the AfD and saying that only they can save the nation. Who knows which European country he will turn to next? The uncertainty is all part of the excitement!

In response, the campaigning group Best for Britain has warned of the need to ‘strengthen the rules around political donations to protect the electoral system from foreign interference.’ They called the risk ‘immediate’ and demanded that ‘we need immediate action.’ The Blairite think tank IPPR also wants to ban Musk from splashing out on Reform, suggesting an annual cap on political donations in order ‘to reverse the “Americanisation” of British politics.’

Wrong Side of History

Our philanthropists and their oligarchs

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