Liz Kendall, who was appointed Technology Secretary in this month’s reshuffle, hit out at the X/Twitter owner after he told a Tommy Robinson rally ‘violence is coming’
The new Technology Secretary has accused Elon Musk of “inciting violence and hatred” in Britain.
Liz Kendall, who was moved to the role in this month’s reshuffle, hit out at the X/Twitter owner after he told a Tommy Robinson rally “violence is coming” at the weekend.
Musk has been facing a fury from UK politicians – including Keir Starmer – after saying right-wingers could either fight or die. Speaking over video link, he told the London march: “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.”
Ms Kendall said she was “angry” about the tech billionaire’s comments and accused him of trying to “stoke division”. “I think that… inciting violence and hatred is not what the British people want,” she said.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer hits out at Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk – ‘this is the fight of our times’
It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan last night said Donald Trump and his coterie “have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”.
In an article for the Guardian, as the US President’s state visit kicks off today, Sir Sadiq added: “This week, I’m sure many Londoners will speak up to tell President Trump and his followers that we cannot be divided by those who seek to sow fear.”
Asked if she agrees with Sir Sadiq, Ms Kendall said: “No, I think the person who’s doing more to stoke division is somebody like Elon Musk.”
She added: “I think that Sadiq is quite interesting in his article that I read this morning. He says he actually understands why we want to build a good relationship with the US and with President Trump.
“He believes that’s important for our national security with what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine, and I obviously believe it’s important for jobs and opportunities in this country.
“The person I, to be honest, am more angry about is what Elon Musk said. I think that… inciting violence and hatred is not what the British people want. So I believe we’ve got to work with whoever is the President of the United States, because that is what this country needs for our jobs and security.”
Yesterday, Mr Starmer hit out at Robinson and Musk – saying the weekend’s violence “sent a chill through the spines of people around the country”. The Prime Minister told the Cabinet they are in “the fight our our times” between patriotic national renewal and toxic division.
Twenty six officers were injured, including four who were seriously hurt, as up to 150,000 people descended on London for a Unite the Kingdom rally organised by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Mr Starmer told the Cabinet that “some of the scenes of police officers being attacked on Saturday, and a march led by a convicted criminal, were not just shocking but sent a chill through the spines of people around the country, and particularly many ethnic minority Britons”.
Mr Trump and Mr Starmer will use the state visit to hail a new tech deal struck between Britain and the US, which. could bring billions of pounds of investment to the UK. The “tech prosperity deal”, announced as Mr Trump arrived in the UK on Tuesday night, will see the UK and US co-operate in areas including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and nuclear power.
Ms Kendall said the US-UK tech deal was “a vote of confidence in Britain’s booming AI sector” that would “deliver good jobs, life-saving treatments and faster medical breakthroughs”.
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