More than half of UK voters think Elon Musk is having a detrimental influence on British politics, following his criticisms of Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, according to a recent Opinium poll conducted for the Observer.

The billionaire, originally from South Africa, has spent the past week using his social media platform X to criticize Starmer and the Labour government for opposing a new national inquiry into grooming gangs. Musk accused Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, of being a “rape genocide apologist” and claimed that Starmer was “deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes.”

Driving the news

Despite reports suggesting Musk is considering a large donation to Reform UK, he also criticized Nigel Farage, claiming he is not fit to lead the party. In one post on X, Musk asked his 212 million followers whether the US should “liberate” the UK from its “tyrannical government” under Starmer. The Financial Times also reported that Musk had been discussing with allies potential ways to remove Starmer from office.

Oh like that time Starmer called @realDonaldTrump a racist and said the British government should do everything to stop him?

Or when Starmer sent British Labour Party members to campaign in the US against President Trump this year?https://t.co/5R28WgZIj0 https://t.co/S3cjV27Woi

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025

According to Opinium’s findings, 53% of voters believe Musk is having a negative effect on British politics, compared to just 12% who see his influence as positive. Specifically regarding his comments on grooming gangs, 47% considered his remarks “unhelpful”, while 26% disagreed.

Reform UK supporters were dissatisfied with Musk’s suggestion that Farage step down as party leader. A significant 71% of respondents felt Farage was the best leader for the party at this time. Farage, in response to Musk’s comments, has expressed disagreement with Musk’s support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson but stated that he has spoken with Musk since and believes no lasting harm has been done to their relationship.

Divided opinions

Adam Drummond, head of political and social research at Opinium, noted, “A lack of enthusiasm about a foreign billionaire involving himself in British politics” was a rare point of agreement among the public.

The poll also revealed divided opinions on whether to hold another national inquiry into grooming gangs. While 36% of respondents supported the idea, 28% preferred that local councils conduct their own inquiries, allowing the government to focus on implementing recommendations from the 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Drummond explained, “If you ask voters, ‘Should there be an inquiry into an important issue,’ the answer will be ‘yes.’ It sounds like doing something about the problem and doesn’t really consider opportunity costs. So it’s not surprising that the numbers are more nuanced when we put actual courses of action in front of people.”

Approval ratings for the Labour government’s handling of the issue were at a net minus 17%, while the previous Conservative government fared worse at minus 27%. The current Conservative approach also scored poorly, with a net approval rating of minus 11%.

The Opinium poll surveyed 2,050 UK adults online between January 8 and 10.

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