Starmer should focus on engaging with social media platforms instead of attacking Musk, says former minister

Starmer should focus on engaging with social media platforms instead of attacking Musk, says former minister
Gabrielle Wilde

By Gabrielle Wilde


Published: 06/08/2024

- 11:36

Elon Musk has criticised the British Prime Minister for his response to the riots

The minister who was responsible for the UK’s Online Safety Act, Michelle Donelan, has said the Prime Minister should not be attacking Elon Musk for his comments about civil war in the UK.

She told GB News that Sir Keir Starmer should focus instead on engaging with social media platforms: “I think what Keir Starmer has done is he's got it wrong by just lurching and attacking Elon Musk.

“Actually, there are people out there on X and other platforms that are inciting violence and encouraging this to take place, and they're the people that need to be stopped.

“Whilst we need to protect free speech, and people can have opinions and they can differ, we shouldn't be inciting and encouraging violence.

“So what they should have done last week was get all these platforms around the table and said, ‘Okay, what are your policies? What are you doing? Are you increasing your staff numbers? Talk us through how you're taking this seriously. How can we help? How can we share our intel? What support can we give you? We're taking this really seriously’.

“That's what we did. Not just going off on one at Elon Musk.

“I don't think he'll do anything in relation to social media. We've done the Online Safety Act, which is the most comprehensive bill in this space in the world.

“The reality is Keir Starmer is more interested in grandstanding and making these jabs than actually acting and trying to deal with the problem at the root.”

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