British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “lies and misinformation” undermining the United Kingdom’s democracy and his record after Elon Musk’s continued attacks.
Starmer was asked about a barrage of criticism coming from billionaire Musk, who has been tapped to co-lead President-elect Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”
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The prime minister criticized Musk and the Conservative British politicians that have echoed some of Musk’s claims. He slammed them as people who are “spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible,” The Associated Press reported.
Musk, who owns the social platform X, has boosted far-right political movements in the U.K. and Germany. He’s criticized Starmer, called for new elections in the U.K. and voiced support for far-right figures in the country.
Musk has posted several messages accusing Starmer of what he has said is a failure as former director of public prosecutions to prosecute men who have raped young girls.
Starmer has attempted to deflect Musk’s criticisms and defend his reputation as a prosecutor, Reuters reported.
“When I was chief prosecutor for five years, I tackled that head on,” Starmer said, adding he reopened cases that had been closed and brought a prosecution on a grooming gang. “I changed the whole prosecution approach.”
In his remarks to the press, Starmer argued that the largest issue was not Musk’s posts on X, but the politicians in his country that were amplifying them.
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“What are politicians here doing to stand up for our democracy?” he questioned, adding that some Conservatives were “so desperate for attention.”
“Once we lose the anchor that truth matters … then we are on a very slippery slope,” Starmer said, per the AP.
Musk continued posting and reposting criticisms of Starmer on his X account Monday.
He responded to Starmer’s remarks, calling them an “insane thing to say!” and saying the prime minister is “utterly despicable.”
The Associated Press contributed.
