The government clashed with Elon Musk over the grooming gangs scandal, Nigel Farage and Elon Musk fell out, Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq resigned following allegations of misconduct, and Donald Trump praised Keir Starmer.
Elon Musk versus the UK Government
In early January, the Home Office rejected calls for it to lead an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.
This prompted billionaire, and new US cabinet member Elon Musk, to produce a series of posts on X, attacking the UK Government.
Among these posts, he suggested that PM Keir Starmer failed to prosecute gangs and that Minister for Safeguarding Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison”. He also circulated a false memo claiming to be from Gordon Brown’s premiership, that advised police not to intervene in child grooming cases because the victims had “made an informed choice”. BBC Verify undertook extensive searches of Home Office archives and could not find this document.
In response, Starmer defended his record as Director of Public Prosecutions and condemned those “spreading lies and misinformation”. Meanwhile, Jess Phillips told BBC Newsnight that Elon Musk’s comments had endangered her and caused her to seek further protection.
Nigel Farage and Elon Musk fallout
Following reports in December that Musk was preparing to donate a large sum to Nigel Farage’s party, Reform UK, the pair fell out after Musk suggested that Farage was unsuited to lead Reform.
The disagreement stemmed from Elon Musk’s support for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, to be freed from prison, where he is serving 18 months for contempt of court.
Farage disagreed with Musk on this, prompting the latter to withdraw his support, hours after Farage repeatedly complimented him in a BBC interview.
Treasury Minister resigns over misconduct allegations
Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq resigned following allegations of misconduct over her perceived involvement in a Bangladeshi corruption scandal and improper interest declarations.
Siddiq, who as a Treasury Minister was responsible for regulating corruption in the financial sector, was named by the Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into embezzlement in infrastructure projects. PM Keir Starmer maintained confidence in her at this stage.
Following a Financial Times report that a developer with links to Bangladeshi political party the Awami League gave her a flat worth almost £200,000 in 2004, rather than her parents as she had previously declared, Siddiq reported herself to the PM’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.
A week later, the Adviser published his report in which he found that Siddiq broke no rules, although stressed ‘potential reputational risks’ and advised the PM to consider Siddiq’s ‘ongoing responsibilities’. She resigned later that day and was replaced by former lobbyist Emma Reynolds.
Donald Trump praises Keir Starmer
US President Donald Trump said that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had done a ‘very good job thus far’ in late January.
Asked by the BBC aboard Air Force One, Trump said that he gets along with Starmer well and likes him ‘a lot’.
While he acknowledged that Starmer was ‘liberal, which is a bit different from me’, he said that he regarded him as a good person and praised his work so far.
This marks a break from Elon Musk, who has been critical of Starmer. He even posted an X poll, suggesting that ‘America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government’.
Honourable mentions
Liz Truss sent a cease and desist letter to Starmer, demanding that he stop saying that she ‘crashed the economy’.
Former Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell were interviewed under caution by police following their attendance at a pro-Palestinian protest in London.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the Conservatives’ handling of Brexit. She suggested that leaving without a growth plan was a mistake and that they failed to lower immigration.
Featured Image Credit: Edward Jewsbury
Politics Editor
Journalism and Politics 4th Year
Stockport
