Starmer says Tesla investment welcome after Musk row

Tesla, run by Elon Musk, would be welcome to invest in the UK, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer said he didn’t want to be misunderstood after the BBC reported that the tech tycoon had not been invited to the UK’s International Investment Summit due to his social media posts during last month’s riots.

“Obviously, I encourage investment from anywhere,” he told the BBC.

He added: "Good investment into the UK is what I'm very, very keen to promote."

Sir Keir made his comments while speaking to journalists on his recent visit to New York, where he addressed the United Nations and met with Donald Trump and US business leaders.

"Every time I'm abroad, every time on an international trip, we do these investment breakfasts, because I'm absolutely determined to get the investment that we needed into the economy.

"And I do think we've got a real opportunity with a new chapter now," he said.

The summit next month is the key moment that the prime minister hopes will drive tens of billions of pounds in inward funding for business from the world’s biggest investors.

Mr Musk was invited to last year's event but did not attend. However, he took a starring role in November's artificial intelligence (AI) Summit, including a fireside chat with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Jeremy Hunt, the former Conservative chancellor and now the shadow chancellor, told the BBC it was a "big loss" not to have Mr Musk at the summit.

"He told me last year he was planning a new car plant in Europe and had not decided where but the UK was a candidate," Mr Hunt claimed.

Mr Musk lashed out on social media after reports that he had not been invited to the UK government's International Investment Summit.

"I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts," Mr Musk claimed on X.

Following disorder and rioting across the UK in August, some people were jailed for encouraging unrest on social media.

During the August riots, Mr Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, predicting civil war in the UK and repeatedly attacking the prime minister.

He also shared, and later deleted, a conspiracy theory about the UK building "detainment camps" on the Falkland Islands for rioters.

At the time, ministers said his comments were "totally unjustifiable" and "pretty deplorable".