Keir Starmer’s spokesperson hit back at Elon Musk after the world’s richest man claimed “very few” businesses would want to invest in the UK.
On his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote: “Very few companies will be willing to invest in the UK with the current administration.”
He was responding to a letter from Scottish politicians calling for Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, to open a factory in the country.
In response, Starmer’s spokesman told journalists that the Labour government had an “unashamedly pro-growth and pro-business approach”.
He said: “If you look at what’s happened since the election, you’ve seen £63bn of traditional investment.”
Labour hosted a summit in October where they claimed to raise a “record-breaking” £63bn for the UK economy.
The spokesman continued: “Business investment in the third quarter this year is estimated to increase 4.5 per cent compared to this time last year.
“I think you’ve seen reports out today suggesting that vast majority of UK businesses expect their turnover to increase next year, up on last year.”
Musk has been in a prolonged spat with Starmer ever since Labour won the July general election, often criticising the new government via his social media posts.
The tech mogul was allegedly left off the government’s invite list for the new government’s October summit because of his vocal attacks on Labour.
When responding to speculation about the summit, Musk said: “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 also elevated a right-wing conspiracy theory of “two-tier policing” – which claims the authorities are much stricter with those on the right end of the political spectrum than those on the left – by calling Starmer “two-tier Kier” in the summer.
Starmer slapped down such a suggestion at the time, telling the press: “Talk of two-tier policing is wrong, it’s not true and it’s dangerous, because it exposes the police to even more danger than they’re already exposed to.”
Musk also claimed “civil war is inevitable” in the UK after the violent riots broke out in August.
The tech tycoon has since been tapped by Donald Trump to be the joint-lead of DOGE in the US, the department of government efficiencies.
There is even speculation Musk could donate up to $100m to Nigel Farage’s Reform party after the two met in Trump’s Florida mansion – a sum which would be the largest donation in UK electoral history.
Musk has denied that he was planning to give such a sum but did not rule out offering some kind of contribution to the new party.
