London (Commentary ) — Elon Musk champions free speech on Twitter (now X, after he acquired it). That was a remarkable sentiment. Does free speech give someone the privilege to criticise judicial decisions on cases in the United Kingdom? The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, indirectly accused Elon Musk of seeking attention. Given how Musk endorsed AfD, the German right-wing party, and his pronouncements (tweets) on the suitability of Starmer to lead the Labour Party, the richest man in the world seems to think he can influence British politics with his mistaken belief that Britain has the best politics money can buy.
The way Musk tweets about British politics leaves no room for civil debate. Starmer was the Director of the Crown Prosecution Service when the grooming scandal came to light. On his X platform handle, Musk campaigned for an inquiry. Professor Alexis Jay, who led the inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales, rejected calls for another inquiry. She told BBC Radio 4 that victims “want action”. The Times of London quoted Professor Alexis as saying that none of her 20 key recommendations have been implemented.
One wonders why the Conservatives failed to implement the recommendations. Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, called for a new inquiry into the “grooming gangs scandal”. The Conservatives lost to Labour in May last year. Kemi has joined a league of populists undermining the British legal system and exploiting the sentiments of the British far-right, whose anti-immigration views even question her suitability to lead a British political party.
It does not occur to Kemi that she is risking contempt of court when she aims to score political points against Starmer by tarnishing the image of the British criminal justice system.
The Conservatives have never raised objections to the publication of inquiry recommendations. The unholy social media alliance forged by Musk, Kemi and far-right political activists jeopardises the image of the UK as a country where the rule of law reigns. Starmer took Musk to task over what his critics describe as bigotry masquerading as a Western cultural warrior.
© Puntland Post, 2025
