The UK would welcome investment from Tesla, the electric vehicle company led by Elon Musk, according to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. This comes amid reports that Musk was not invited to the UK’s upcoming International Investment Summit due to his controversial social media activity during last month’s riots.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Keir clarified his stance, emphasizing that he is eager to attract global investment. “Obviously, I encourage investment from anywhere,” he stated. “Good investment into the UK is something I’m very, very keen to promote.”
Sir Keir made these remarks while speaking to journalists during his recent visit to New York, where he addressed the United Nations and held meetings with US business leaders, including Donald Trump. “Every time I’m abroad, every time on an international trip, we organize investment breakfasts. I’m absolutely determined to secure the investment the UK economy needs,” he said. “We have a real opportunity now with a new chapter ahead.”
The UK government’s International Investment Summit, set for next month, is a critical event aimed at attracting tens of billions of pounds in foreign investment. Last year, Musk was invited but did not attend. However, he did make a notable appearance at November’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit, where he participated in a discussion with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Jeremy Hunt, the former Conservative chancellor and now shadow chancellor, lamented Musk’s absence from this year’s summit, calling it a “big loss.” Hunt claimed that Musk had told him last year he was considering building a new car plant in Europe and that the UK was a potential location.
Musk responded on social media following reports that he had not been invited to the summit, expressing his displeasure. “I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts,” Musk wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
His comments followed widespread unrest and rioting across the UK in August, during which some individuals were jailed for inciting violence through social media. During the riots, Musk had shared posts on X predicting civil war in the UK and openly criticizing the government. He also posted, and later deleted, a conspiracy theory about the UK setting up “detainment camps” on the Falkland Islands for rioters. UK ministers condemned his remarks, calling them “totally unjustifiable” and “deplorable.”
Despite Musk’s controversial online activity, Sir Keir remains focused on attracting valuable international investment, reinforcing the UK’s openness to companies like Tesla.