Senior Labour politician questions Elon Musk’s ‘reluctance’ to appear before MPs in parliament
The IndependentSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A senior Labour MP has questioned Elon Musk’s apparent “reluctance” to appear before MPs in parliament despite the billionaire’s barrage of interventions on UK politics using his social media site X. Although Mr Musk – who is set to assume a key role in Donald Trump’s incoming US administration – is reportedly yet to officially reply to the invitation, he initially responded on X by claiming that MPs would be summoned to the US “to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens”. open image in gallery Elon Musk has waged an online campaign against Sir Keir Starmer and his government over grooming gangs in the UK Noting that the committee “would be quite open to travelling to talk to him” so long as Mr Musk is willing to pay for their flights, the cross party group’s Labour chair Chi Onwurah questioned his apparent reticence to give evidence to MPs in Westminster. Ms Onwurah said she had been “shocked” by the Tesla owner’s “aggressive attacks on British politicians”, adding: “I’m hoping that Elon Musk will bring himself to our committee so that we can understand what his approach is to freedom of speech and misinformation and harms.” open image in gallery Chi Onwurah said she had been shocked by Elon Musk’s ‘aggressive attacks’ on MPs Mr Musk’s campaign against the UK government comes as the flagship online safety bill is set to come into force, which will enable regulator Ofcom to fine social media giants up to 10 per cent of their revenue for failing to comply with stricter new rules.