Former PM Liz Truss has backed billionaire social media owner Elon Musk for "standing up" to who she labelled "bullies" looking to stifle free speech.
Musk had weighed in on backlash to Sir Keir Starmer's response to the violent unrest which broke out in the UK after the Southport stabbings at the end of July, labelling him "two-tier Keir".
The current Prime Minister had drawn attention to social media's role in stoking some of the riots in England and Northern Ireland - prompting an outcry from the tech magnate, who owns social media site X, formerly Twitter.
Then, European Commissioner Thierry Breton had penned an open letter to Musk, reminding him of his obligations in tackling "hate speech" online.
Now, Truss has weighed in to the furore.
In a social media post this afternoon, the short-serving ex-PM said she was "appalled by the attacks on free speech in Britain and Europe".
She added: "We can't be truly free without free speech. Good for Elon Musk and X for standing up to these bullies."
Musk replied to her post with a message of thanks, saying "thank you for your support" to the ex-PM.
Reform brings 'SAS: Who Dares Wins' star to party conference in coup for Farage and co
ANNOUNCEMENT: Confirmed speakers at the Reform UK 2024 Conference in Birmingham, with special guest Ant Middleton!
— Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) August 13, 2024
Book your tickets and build the future of British politics: https://t.co/UKHuHt7SUs pic.twitter.com/QwmnvMxZI4
Reform UK has announced its list of confirmed speakers at its upcoming party conference in Birmingham - with one star among those addressing crowds for the new boys in Parliament.
Nigel Farage's party is set to be platforming its five MPs: Farage himself, Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock.
Alongside the quintet of MPs, the party's immigration and justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe and chairman Zia Yusuf have joined the line-up.
But Reform has brought one big name to the party conference which outsiders may not have expected: Ant Middleton.
Middleton, the former Royal Marines Commando and host of SAS: Who Dares Wins, will take to the stage as Reform's "special guest".
David Cameron rules out endorsing any Tory leadership candidate
Another ex-Prime Minister has made headlines today - this time, Lord Cameron.
The former PM, Foreign Secretary and Tory leader will not endorse any of the six candidates in the Tory leadership race.
One source close to Cameron told the Telegraph: "As a former leader, he is not backing anyone. [It is] important he stays impartial."
Recent Ipsos surveys indicate that a Cameron endorsement would help any leadership hopeful's prospects - unlike one from Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss.
But Ipsos polled Britons, not Conservative members, for their views.
Tory members have so far expressed a preference for Kemi Badenoch ahead of more Cameron-aligned candidates like Tom Tugendhat - meaning an endorsement from the ex-PM may end up doing more harm than good.
Truss has also declined to endorse a successor-but-one as Tory leader, telling the Daily T podcast anyone who took on the role would need to "take on the establishment" and "groupthink".
Tory hopeful Tom Tugendhat brands Elon Musk 'delusional' following Twitter spat
Tom Tugendhat has hit out at 'delusional' Elon Musk following a public spat on X
Getty / Pool
Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has slammed "delusional" Elon Musk after the X and Tesla owner suggested that the UK is on the brink of a "civil war".
Musk became embroiled in a war of words with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after responding to videos posted on social media of the violent protests across the country.
Musk also replied to a post on X from Starmer in which he declared he will "not tolerate attacks on mosques or Muslim communities", responding: "Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?"
Labour MPs threaten to BOYCOTT Twitter amid Elon Musk row with Starmer over riots - 'Place of misery'
Labour MPs have threatened to boycott Twitter after owner Elon Musk took aim at Sir Keir Starmer over the recent riots erupting across England and Northern Ireland.
Musk nicknamed the Prime Minister "two-tier Keir" after the Labour leader clamped down on violent protesters following a series of anti-immigration demonstrations.
Noah Law, who was elected in St Austell and Newquay last month, is believed to be the first to have deactivated his account on the platform.
Lewis Atkinson, Labour’s new MP for Sunderland Central, told the Guardian “any platform that has lots of hate and disinformation” was unappealing to use.
Home Office Minister Jess Phillips last week told the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that she was losing faith with the social media giant.
She added: “Personally for me, I don’t think it is a space where there is any fun to be had any more. I don’t think that it is a place of light, I think it is only a place of misery now.”
Labour MP sparks outrage after blaming violent riots on Israel
A Labour MP has sparked outrage after blaming violent riots on Israel.
Norwich South MP Clive Lewis linked Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza with the recent unrest witnessed in England and Northern Ireland.
The former Shadow Defence Secretary, who was forced to retake his oath of allegiance after staging a protest, argued the “inhumanity” shown towards Palestinians led to rising Islamophobia in the UK.
Lewis came under fire from campaigners, with the Labour Party receiving a complaint from Labour Against Antisemitism.
Farage predicts ‘Reform boom’ after Tory frontrunner lobbied for migration surge
Farage predicts ‘Reform boom’ after Tory frontrunner lobbied for migration surgePANigel Farage has predicted Reform UK will “boom” after footage resurfaced showing Kemi Badenoch hailing the liberalisation of legal migration rules.
The Clacton MP, who is keeping a close eye on the race to replace Rishi Sunak, said: “If Kemi becomes leader Reform will boom.”
Badenoch is the frontrunner to win the Tory leadership race, with the Saffron Walden MP opening up leads in a number of grassroots opinion polls.
However, the former Business Secretary’s critics suggest she might have shot herself in the foot over the unearthed footage.
“Either she misled the Commons in 2018 or Kemi is misleading the public now with any claim she would reduce migration numbers,” a Tory source told The Sun.
Addressing MPs in 2018, Badenoch “welcomed” the scrapping of the cap on visas for skilled workers and students, claiming: “I lobbied for both on behalf of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Anglia Ruskin University, which serve my constituency.”
Former Tory MP Rachel MacLean, who lost her seat after Britons went to the polls on July 4, leapt to Badenoch’s defence last night.
She said: “It is shameful that this 2018 clip is being used to attack Kemi - the leadership candidate who has never been in the Home Office and responsible for controlling our borders.
“Every Conservative MP stood in 2019 on a platform of a points-based system, exactly what Kemi is advocating.
“As leader, Kemi will ensure that when we say we’ll bring the numbers down, we will.”
The revelation does not make Badenoch the first Tory leadership contender to back-peddle on previous policy positions.
GB News exclusively revealed Tory concerns about Tom Tugendhat’s ECHR pivot.
Tugendhat, who will use a speech today to plea for an “end to the inconsistent application of the law” amid a spate of riots, recently voiced support for withdrawing from the Strasbourg court.
However, the ex-Security Minister unequivocally opposed severing ties with the ECHR while campaigning for leader in 2022.
Priti Patel vows stand up to Labour in Cardiff and Westminster
Brilliant to speak to Conservative Members of the Senedd yesterday.
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) August 13, 2024
The Welsh Labour Government has been a disaster on almost every issue. Our Conservative MSs play a crucial role in holding them to account.
If I am elected leader, we will work together to be an effective… pic.twitter.com/LKgYNSL7as
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to stand up to Labour in Cardiff and Westminster.
Patel, who is running in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, said: "Brilliant to speak to Conservative Members of the Senedd yesterday.
"The Welsh Labour Government has been a disaster on almost every issue.
"Our Conservative MSs play a crucial role in holding them to account. If I am elected leader, we will work together to be an effective opposition on both fronts."
Badenoch distances herself from migration revelation
Kemi Badenoch PAEx-Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has distanced herself from unearthed footage showing her welcome relaxed immigration rules.
Badenoch said: “Pretending that public statements (on party policy from three elections ago!) are new ‘bombshell’ revelations is clutching at straws.”
She added: “In 2018 we still had unlimited EU migration. Our party policy was to bring in highly skilled people, but limit low-skilled ones.
“By 2022, I could see it wasn’t working. It’s why I was so vocal about it in the last leadership contest.”
Boris Johnson emerges as most 'brat' political figure in UK
Boris Johnson - most #brat politician in the UK
— Ipsos UK (@IpsosUK) August 13, 2024
Almost 1 in 5 of those who know a great deal/fair amount about 'brat' said Boris Johnson fit the description
🟢19% Boris Johnson
🟢18% Nigel Farage
🟢17% Keir Starmer
🟢17% Angela Rayner
🟢15% Rishi Sunakhttps://t.co/JeZ5pS5f5x pic.twitter.com/zIRHwOWlwR
Boris Johnson has emerged as the most 'brat' political figure in UK as Charli XCX's social media trend grips the UK.
The former Prime Minister topped Ipsos' poll with 19 per cent support putting him just one point clear of Nigel Farage.
Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner finished narrowly behind on 17 per cent.
Politicians in the UK and US have looked to leap on Charli XCX's trend, with Vice President Kamala Harris rebranding her campaign to shore up support with younger voters.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan appeared to refer to the viral pop trend to claim his controversial carbon-curbing Ulez scheme was working.
The Liberal Democrats also adopted the trend on TikTok, declaring: “It’s a Li(b)eral Democ(r)(a)(t) summer."
Tugendhat warns recent incidents eroding public confidence in police
Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has warned recent incidents have been eroding public confidence in the police.
The former Security Minister is expected to say: "No police officer should ever tolerate the presence of a militia, no matter what the provocation or the cause they claim.
"The intrusion of politics – the politics of protest, the politics of self-appointed ‘community leaders’ – into policing must end.”
Tugendhat will add: "Once lost, public order can be difficult to regain, which is why the police response to disorder must always be swift and determined.
“For officers on the streets, policing a violent crowd is a dangerous job. We sometimes hear of the need to go softly, softly, and to make arrests later.
“But visible lawlessness encourages others to join in and commit crime. Once people cross the line, they need to be met with uncompromising force.”
Starmer directly warns Iran against attacking Israel
Starmer directly warns Iran against attacking Israel
PA
Sir Keir Starmer has directly warned Iran against attacking Israel.
In a rare phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last night, the Prime Minister claimed there was a "serious risk of miscalculation".
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister said that he was deeply concerned by the situation in the region and called on all parties to de-escalate and avoid further regional confrontation.
“There was a serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration, the Prime Minister said.
“He called on Iran to refrain from attacking Israel, adding that war was not in anyone’s interests.
“The Prime Minister underlined his commitment to an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"He added the focus should be on diplomatic negotiations, to achieve those outcomes.”
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