Elon Musk has called the prime minister “two-tier Keir” in reference to the conspiracy theory that police are treating white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minority groups.
Downing Street would not engage again with the billionaire owner of X, having previously said his comments about a potential civil war in the UK had “no justification”. Since that criticism, Musk has been repeatedly targeting Keir Starmer on his social media platform.
However, the Guardian understands Labour MPs have been privately warned not to engage in debate on Twitter about the far-right violence and to instead amplify calls for unity.
In a letter to MPs from the chief whip Alan Campbell, he says it is “important that you do not do anything that risks amplifying misinformation on social media and do not get drawn into debates online.”
The safeguarding minister Jess Phillips received criticism from Conservatives on Tuesday for saying a group of Muslim men who were seen shouting at members of the media were provoked by misinformation into believing the far-right would be present. Former home secretary James Cleverly said Phillips should “think about the consequences” of her words.
But ministers have engaged robustly to dismiss suggestions of “two-tier” policing, including the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and the courts minister Heidi Alexander. Musk has promoted the idea of different approaches to policing based on race that has been spread by Tommy Robinson and the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage amid a series of far-right riots across towns and cities in England and in Belfast.
In a slew of tweets aimed at Starmer, Musk, who is one of the world’s richest men, also questioned whether the riots were taking place in Britain or the Soviet Union, in response to a video purporting to show someone being arrested for making offensive comments on Facebook.
Musk’s provocative interventions come after Downing Street criticised him on Monday for posting that “civil war is inevitable” under a video of violent riots in Liverpool.
Starmer’s spokesperson said on Monday the violence came from a small minority of people who “do not speak for Britain” and said the prime minister did not share the sentiments of Musk, who has previously been criticised for allowing far-right figures back on to his social media platform.
“There’s no justification for comments like that,” the spokesperson said. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online.
“We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain, and in response to it, we’ve seen some of the best of our communities coming out and cleaning up the mess [and] the disruption of those that don’t speak for our country, and we’ve seen the response for people that do speak for our country. I think you can tell from that that the prime minister does not share those sentiments.”
Responding to the theory of “two-tier” policing that is circulating on social media, ministers dismissed claims that groups were being treated differently by police.
Mahmood posted on X on Tuesday: “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re protesting – if you turn up in a mask, with a weapon, intent on causing disorder, you will face the full force of the law. To those working with police and community organisations with pride and civic duty – you are the best of us.”
On Monday, Farage condemned the rioting on the streets, saying “the levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy”. But he went on to claim there was a widespread impression of “two-tier policing”, which he said was contributing to a “sense of injustice”.
In his letter to Labour MPs, the chief whip said MPs should be giving space on their social media to “amplify what is best about your local communities” and said they should be engaging in the community response, including with faith leaders.
Calling it an “immensely difficult time for local communities”, Campbell stressed it was the job of MPs to help “restore order and calm”.
Stressing that MPs should not get into online debate, Campbell said: “What is happening is not a matter for debate, it is an issue of crime and disorder.”
