“I would very much hope he would want to share the thinking behind those views with the committee, especially given his role as advisor to President-elect Trump and the disappointment he expressed on not being invited to the U.K. investment summit.”
POLITICO first reported Onwurah’s plans to summon Musk before the committee in August. Wednesday marks the formal launch of its inquiry into social media’s role in the riots.
“The violence we saw on U.K. streets this summer has shown the dangerous real-world impact of spreading misinformation and disinformation across social media,” Onwurah said.
“We shouldn’t accept the spread of false and harmful content as part and parcel of using social media. It’s vital that lessons are learnt, and we ensure it doesn’t fuel riots and violence on our streets again.”
The move comes amid an increasingly tense relationship between the tech billionaire and the British government. As riots spread in the summer, Musk repeatedly criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over what he saw as a draconian approach to the unrest.
In turn, U.K. ministers decried the entrepreneur’s comments as “totally unjustifiable” and “pretty deplorable.”
