Elon Musk has ridiculed ITV’s Good Morning Britain after a poll about his involvement in British politics appeared to backfire, with a majority of respondents appearing to support his participation in UK political discourse.
The billionaire tech mogul and incoming Trump administration official shared the results of the breakfast show’s poll on his X platform, celebrating what one journalist called a poll that “blew up in their face”.
The survey, which garnered more than 42,000 votes, showed nearly two-thirds of respondents rejected the suggestion that Musk should stay out of British politics.
Musk, who has recently been embroiled in controversies over his comments about UK grooming gangs and criticism of senior political figures, responded to the results with a triumphant “thank you, Britain!” message adorned with Union Jack emojis.
He later mocked the outcome further with a follow-up post simply sharing the one-word put-down: “LMAO [Laugh my a**e off].”
The poll, posted by Good Morning Britain on its X account, asked: “Elon Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson and criticised the Prime Minister and Jess Phillips over the Rochdale scandal. He is also reportedly set to donate money to the Reform UK party. But should Elon Musk stay out of British politics?”
After more than 42,000 votes were cast, the results showed 65.85 percent saying “no” to Musk staying out of British political discourse.
One X user commented on the results, stating: “It looks like Good Morning Britain’s poll blew up in their face. Nearly two-thirds of Brits welcome Elon Musk’s involvement in UK politics”.
Whilst it was not possible to verify which countries the votes originated from, Musk celebrated the outcome with multiple posts on his X platform.
The controversy stems from Musk’s recent social media posts attacking Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour MP Jess Phillips over the handling of grooming gangs in the UK.
Elon Musk has been vocal in his support for the victims of the grooming gang scandal
Reuters
The SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO has accused Starmer of being “complicit in the crimes” of child sex offenders and called for a national investigation into child sexual abuse.
Musk sparked further outrage by describing Home Office minister Jess Phillips as a “rape genocide apologist”.
Elon Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson and criticised the Prime Minister and Jess Phillips over the Rochdale scandal. He is also reportedly set to donate money to the Reform UK party. But should Elon Musk stay out of British politics?
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 3, 2025
Writing for The Sun newspaper, Starmer detailed his time as England and Wales’ chief prosecutor between 2008 and 2013, stating: “My fight to change the way that the prosecution service operated is a matter of public record. Making sure the men responsible for these despicable acts were brought to justice.”
The Prime Minister emphasised his role in bringing the first prosecution of a grooming gang, adding: “Far-right voices have tried to rewrite history.”
Starmer said that “a line has been crossed” by the businessman in his attacks on Phillips.
He firmly stated that “those spreading misinformation are not interested in the victims” and accused Musk and others of “spreading lies and misinformation”.
