LONDON — The British government heaped praise on Elon Musk Monday despite a bitter public feud between the tech mogul and Labour over online disinformation.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle on Monday waxed lyrical about Musk’s SpaceX — and stressed that the U.K. remains open to his investment cash even after a row over the government’s response to far-right riots that erupted over the summer.
“Let me just send my very best to him on the safe landing of the [Space X] booster rocket yesterday,” Kyle told Times Radio. “It was a stunning achievement. And I did watch, slack-jawed, the staggering achievement that represented.”
Musk’s SpaceX this weekend completed a Starship rocket test flight, a step closer to Musk’s ambition to send people and supplies to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.
Kyle said Musk had not been intentionally snubbed by U.K. ministers, pointing out that he had “never come to any of the past investment summits that have been held under the previous government.”
“He doesn’t tend to do these sorts of events,” Kyle said. “But I stand absolutely ready to engage with him to talk about any potential global investments he’s making.”
‘First in the queue’
Britain’s investment summit is taking place Monday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowing to “rip out” bureaucracy that “needlessly holds back investment” and revive the country’s stagnant economy.
Though that might be music to Musk’s ears, the pair have not enjoyed a warm relationship since Labour entered office in July.
The X owner was highly critical of the U.K.’s policing of far-right riots over the summer — and was accused of fanning the flames with claims of “two-tier policing” as the unrest unfolded.
He shared a fake headline claiming Starmer was considering building “emergency detainment camps” to house arrested right-wing rioters and claimed “civil war is inevitable” in Britain. He branded policing of the riots “one-sided,” and dubbed Starmer “#twotierkeir.”
Commenting on his absence from the summit, Musk said last month: “I don’t think anyone should go to the U.K. when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts.”
Kyle denied Musk’s earlier criticism of the government had anything to do with his no-show Monday.
“If Elon Musk had an investment program underway, we would be fighting to get that here,” the tech secretary told ITV. “If he opens one up into the future, I will be first in queue to knock at his door to see if we can get it here into Britain.”
Musk’s testy relationship with Labour is a far cry from the friendly ties he enjoyed with the last U.K. prime minister, Conservative Rishi Sunak. Sunak hosted a softball “in conversation” event with the tech mogul at the U.K.’s AI Summit.