The UK Government’s counter-extremism unit is actively monitoring Elon Musk’s social media posts amid growing concerns over their potential impact on British security.
The tech billionaire’s recent barrage of attacks on the Labour Government and senior politicians has prompted increased surveillance from the Home Office’s counter-extremism team.
The monitoring has reportedly intensified following Musk’s controversial posts about the grooming gangs scandal and his targeted criticism of safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, according to The Mirror.
The Home Office confirmed to GB News that it has stepped up extra monitoring to assess content and the reach of what is being shared on social media site X, especially in relation to accounts with large followings – including Musk’s.
The UK Government’s counter-extremism unit is actively monitoring Elon Musk’s social media posts amid growing concerns over their potential impact on British security
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The counterterrorism unit has been involved in content analysis and wider risk assessment.
Experts warn that the toxicity of social media content could trigger violence on British streets, as the Government steps up its assessment of high-profile accounts on X.
The counter-extremism unit, which operates within the Homeland Security Group, is conducting content analysis and wider risk assessments of posts that could threaten UK security.
Musk’s attacks on Labour minister Jess Phillips have been particularly severe, with the billionaire labelling her a “rape genocide apologist” and calling for her imprisonment.
Following these attacks, Phillips has received serious threats to her safety, requiring the assignment of close protection officers.
She has been advised not to go out in public alone and has stated that Musk was “endangering” her through his social media posts.
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The situation escalated after the Labour Government rejected calls for a new national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Musk’s behaviour on Monday, stating he had “crossed a line” and criticising “those who are spreading lies and misinformation.”
Reports emerged on Thursday that Musk was exploring ways to replace the current government, with sources telling the Financial Times he believes “western civilisation itself is threatened.”
A Government source told the Mirror: “We keep a close eye on how disinformation and hate can proliferate, including online.”
The counter-extremism unit conducting the assessment sits within the Homeland Security Group, whose official mission is “to reduce national security risks to the UK’s people, prosperity and freedoms.”
The unit specifically targets the highest harm risks to the homeland, whether from terrorists, state actors, or cyber and economic criminals.
This heightened surveillance comes as part of broader efforts to combat extremism, which the Government defines as the promotion of ideologies based on violence, hatred or intolerance.
Hope not Hate’s director of research Joe Mulhall warned that Musk “comfortably sits within any definition of an extremist.”
“He is an international extremist and if he wasn’t a billionaire and he wasn’t close to the Trump administration, I imagine, probably wouldn’t even be allowed into the UK at the moment,” Mulhall told the Mirror.
The expert expressed grave concerns about the platform’s impact on public safety.
“Both the behaviour of Mr Musk himself and the platform that he has created, and the levels of toxicity on that platform have already contributed to extreme violence on the streets of Britain,” he said.
Mulhall cautioned that “there is a strong chance as we’ve seen time and time again, that when you allow these online spaces to become this extreme and this toxic, people go and kill people.”
Government adviser on political violence John Woodcock issued a stark warning about foreign interference in British democracy.
The tech billionaire’s recent barrage of attacks on the Labour Government and senior politicians has prompted increased surveillance from the Home Office’s counter-extremism team
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“Britain’s democracy isn’t a play thing for foreign billionaires – Elon Musk needs to back off and concentrate on his rockets and his cars or whatever he wants to obsess about next,” he said.
Woodcock emphasised that UK electoral laws forbid foreign donations and warned against manipulation of information channels from abroad.
Former defence minister John Spellar added historical perspective, noting that wealthy individuals attempting to influence other countries is “not unknown.”
However, Spellar suggested Musk’s social media influence might be temporary, citing potential conflicts with Donald Trump or commercial backlash from the car industry as factors that could limit his impact.
