Elon Musk is more unpopular in Britain than Meghan Markle—suggesting he may struggle in his recent war of words against the country's Prime Minister.
The Tesla and X chief executive has been pushing for a new general election in the U.K., and sought to link British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to a past scandal around child abuse gangs formed predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage.
However, new polling by YouGov shows Musk is deeply unpopular in the U.K. with a net approval rating of minus 51. That's after 71 percent of respondents said they felt negatively about him compared with 20 percent who felt positively.
America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025For context, that makes him even more unpopular than the Duchess of Sussex, who was liked by 22 percent and disliked by 65 percent giving her a net approval rating of minus 43 in YouGov's most recent royal survey in October.
Why It Matters
The comparison is a significant one because it demonstrates the struggle Musk may have to exert influence over British politics in the long term.
His close proximity to Donald Trump will elevate the importance attached to his remarks by the media and X, formerly Twitter, gives him a significant platform to launch his criticisms.
However, in terms of the future trajectory of U.K. public opinion he may hit the same wall Meghan did.
The Duchess of Sussex made her own efforts to present a different perspective on the British monarchy and for a time created a significant conversation about subjects ranging from racism to colonialism and mental health, which played out regularly on U.K. news shows.
However, the more she criticized Harry's family the more the British public turned against her and in time the debate she attempted to start has largely fizzled away.
Currently, Musk is creating significant noise in the U.K. but the next election is not until 2029 so he may have an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to genuinely turn the tide of British politics.
What To Know
Musk may be seen as a close confidant of Donald Trump in America but in Britain he is deeply unpopular not only on the left but also among supporters of the Conservative Party, among whom 64 percent disliked him and 30 percent liked him.
He was more popular among supporters of the Reform Party, which is to the right of the Conservatives, though he has even lost support with them after recently turning on Reform leader, Nigel Farage, in a post on X: "The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn't have what it takes."
His net approval rating among Reform voters was plus 10 in the recent poll, down from plus 28 in November.
Musk has recently stepped up public comments on British politics, with a particular focus on a decade-old scandal around grooming gangs who targeted young girls in a number of English towns.
The Conservative Party was in power at the time but Starmer was director of public prosecutions, in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings criminal cases against defendants, between 2008 and 2013.
There were allegations the CPS failed to authorize charges based on the belief victims would be perceived as unreliable in court, though there is no evidence Starmer was ever involved in decision making on this, The Guardian reported.
The scandal generated controversy after allegations in U.K. broadsheet The Times that the victims were dismissed by the authorities over fears their allegations, predominantly against South Asian men, would stoke racial tension.
The Labour Party opposes a national inquiry on the mass rape of little girls in Britain for one reason only:
It will show that they were complicit. https://t.co/P7qBucDWkW
The Financial Times has also recently reported that Musk has had discussions with colleagues about whether Starmer could be removed as prime minister before the next U.K. general election.
Meanwhile, Meghan and Harry recently took a swipe at social media platform Meta for scrapping fact checkers in a statement that included veiled references to President-elect Donald Trump.
"As they announce these changes undoubtedly responding to political winds, they once again abandon public safety in favor of profit, chaos, and control," a statement by their Archewell Foundation read.
What People Are Saying
Elon Musk wrote on X: "America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government."
Keir Starmer told a press conference: "Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves."
Nigel Farage told Sky News: "I can't be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody. I stick to what I believe."
YouGov's own analysis of its polling data reads: "The only group of the public who have a favourable view of Musk are Reform UK voters, with 51% holding a positive opinion.
"While this is largely unchanged from 54% in November, there has been a significant increase in the number of Reform UK voters with a negative opinion of Musk since then, having risen from 24% to 41%.
"This could be due to Musk's behaviour around the child grooming issue, or it could also be a result of his personal attacks against Nigel Farage, who he said was not fit to lead Reform UK."
What Happens Next
British lawmakers voted down efforts to trigger a full public inquiry into child grooming gangs and the drive for a new general election does not appear to have gathered pace.
However, U.K. finance chief Rachel Reeves is under pressure over a rise in the cost of government borrowing and the surge of support that won the Labour Party a landslide victory as recently as July appears to have largely dissipated.
With Reform one point behind Labour in recent polling, Starmer and Reeves have their work cut out for them irrespective of whether Musk's comments land with the British public.
And Harry and Meghan have their own backlash to deal with after criticism of their visit to the L.A. wildfires disaster zone last week.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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