On Thursday (January 2) local time, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, called for a new general election in the United Kingdom. This is another intervention in European politics. Musk has published a series of posts criticizing British policies on X, a social media platform he owns. He questioned the country's Prime Minister Starmer's previous experience as Attorney General, called for the release of far-right provocateur Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), and claimed that only the British Reform Party led by Nigel Farage can save the UK.
Musk called for a new election in the UK in response to a post about plummeting support for Starmer's Labor government.
In the British general election in July this year, Starmer led the Labor Party to an overwhelming victory and became the new British Prime Minister. This marks the Labor Party's return to power after 14 years.
Starmer's government has a majority in parliament and there is currently no chance he will lose a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons, which would be necessary to call a new election early. According to regulations, the next general election in the UK is scheduled to be held in 2029.
Given that US President-elect Trump has appointed Musk as the head of the proposed Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), Musk's continued attacks on the British government may affect the so-called special relationship between the UK and the US.
The Special Relationship is a term used to describe the very close political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, military and historical relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Musk has made many public comments on politics in various countries recently. In the United States, Musk's deep involvement in politics has caused dissatisfaction among Democrats, with some deriding him as a "co-president."
He has also repeatedly criticized the government led by German Chancellor Scholz and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany party, calling on voters to support the party in the German general election in February.
So far, Britain's Starmer government has not publicly responded to Musk's criticism.
In contrast, the German government's reaction to Musk was less calm, with many officials in the country's political circles accusing him of trying to interfere in the election.