The Musk Factor: Is the world's richest man driving Parliament's agenda?

News

The 'Musk Factor': Is the world's richest man driving Parliament's agenda? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 66

10 Jan 2025

This week, we examine how Elon Musk’s tweets have steered the UK parliamentary agenda in the first sitting days of the New Year. From a viral petition demanding a general election, to intense debates on child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs, Musk’s influence has left its mark on this week’s key political discussions. Ruth and Mark also unpack the rise of identical parliamentary questions and share their plans to cover the Assisted Dying Bill’s next stages later this month.

LISTEN

Elon Musk’s tweets are more than just clickbait - they are actively driving UK politics. Ruth and Mark explore three major Commons events this week that were all amplified by Musk’s controversial social media posts: a petition signed by three million people calling for a general election, debates on grooming gangs, and controversies surrounding the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Musk’s online influence has placed these issues at the forefront of political discourse, but his incendiary comments have also raised serious concerns about misinformation, online abuse, harassment and MP safety.

In this episode, Ruth and Mark break down the strategies and tensions behind the parliamentary debates. They highlight how political positioning on the Children’s Bill overshadowed critical discussions on education reform. Musk’s online dominance and abuse has also escalated security risks for MPs like Jess Phillips, who faces intensified threats after his vituperative personal attacks.

We unpack the politics behind the parliamentary decisions, look at the challenges of effective political communication, and preview how the issues may play out in the weeks ahead. We close with a look at the latest parliamentary trend: the orchestrated surge of identical questions by whips aiming to amplify government messaging. From project management jargon to strategic question crafting, this episode sheds light on the mechanics of Westminster.

← Back to Parliament Matters homepage

Listen on our YouTube channel (captioned)

Resources

Hansard Society

UK Parliament

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidence

Petitions (Parliament)

E-petition 700143: Call a General Election

Hansard (Westminster Hall)

General Election, Monday 6 January 2025

UK Parliament

Written questions, answers and statements: Find written questions and answers

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/PM.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. Coming up this week.

Ruth Fox: The Musk Factor. How tweets from the world's richest man are driving Parliament's agenda.

Mark D'Arcy: And what precisely did Parliament vote against this week, amidst calls for a national inquiry into historical child exploitation focused on grooming gangs?

Ruth Fox: And we've got questions in the House about, well, questions in the House.

Mark D'Arcy: But first Ruth, this was definitely the week in which the world's richest man drove the agenda of the House of Commons. There are at least three [00:01:00] substantial Commons events this week that basically were rocket boosted by tweets from Elon musk.

Ruth Fox: See what you did there Mark.

Mark D'Arcy: Couldn't resist it.

But it's extraordinary how the megaphone given to Elon Musk by his ownership of Twitter, which clearly amplifies his personal tweets that everybody gets them. I don't follow him, but I get his tweets anyway.

Ruth Fox: Yeah, I think we call it X now, don't we? But he's always at the top of the list.

Mark D'Arcy: I refuse to call it X.

I'm going to continue calling it Twitter because I'm a stubborn git.

Ruth Fox: Yes, I mean, no matter when you, uh, you turn on X Twitter, whatever we call it, his tweets are always at the top. The algorithm obviously favours him. But as you say, I mean, three interventions this week. So we had the ministerial statement by Yvette Cooper on child sexual exploitation and abuse.

We've had a reasoned amendment from the Conservatives to the Children and Schools Bill to try and force a national inquiry into the grooming gangs, which is at the [00:02:00] heart of the discussion over the last few days on X and in the media that Elon Musk is forcing, and we had an e petition calling for another general election signed by three million people that, again, to use your phrase, was basically put on rocket boosters before Christmas by it being posted about by Elon Musk.

Use the links below to subscribe to the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters podcast on your preferred app, or search for 'Parliament Matters' on whichever podcasting service you use. If you are unable to find our podcast, please email us here.

Apple

YouTube Podcasts

Spotify

More ways to subscribe

Parliament Matters homepage

Latest / Highlights

News / Former Prime Ministers: The role of Parliament in life after No 10 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 109

In this episode, we speak with Peter Just, author of a new book, Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street. Peter explores how Thatcher reinvented herself after her departure to maintain her status as an international figure, and how she remained a parliamentary thorn in John Major’s side. We also compare her parliamentary afterlife with that of other Prime Ministers, and consider the value that former leaders can bring to the institution of Parliament. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 108

In this episode, we talk to political journalist Seb Whale about his new book, The Usual Channels, which reveals the hidden world of Westminster’s whips. Seb charts how party discipline has evolved – from the stormy politics of the 1970s and the Maastricht battles of the 1990s to the legendary “black book,” the Brexit showdowns and the short-lived Liz Truss premiership. He explains how the whips’ office has adapted to a modern Parliament – especially with the influx of women MPs – and why, even today, whips still wield decisive influence over MPs’ careers and remain indispensable despite the pressures of contemporary politics. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Blog / Treaty scrutiny: addressing the accountability gap

In this guest blog, Lord Goldsmith KC, Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC), sets out the findings of the Committee’s latest report urging reform of Parliament's outdated system for scrutinising treaties. The report warns that Westminster lags behind other legislatures in overseeing these vital policy instruments. Rejecting successive governments' defence of the status quo, it argues that government objections to reform are unconvincing and meaningful accountability is overdue.

News / Assisted dying bill - special series #17: Peers give the Bill a Second Reading, but progress is paused for committee evidence - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 107

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has cleared another key hurdle: it was given a Second Reading in the House of Lords without a formal vote. But Peers have agreed to set up a special select committee to hear evidence from Ministers, professional bodies and legal experts before the Bill goes any further. That decision pushes the detailed clause-by-clause scrutiny back to mid-November and could shape the Bill’s prospects in unexpected ways. In this episode we explore the procedural twists and political manoeuvring behind that decision. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: A guide to the legislative process in the House of Lords

Having passed through the House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - must now go through its legislative stages in the House of Lords. This guide explains the special procedures for legislation in the House of Lords, and for Private Members’ Bills in particular. It answers some frequently asked questions, including how Peers might block the Bill, and gives an explanation of each stage of the process, from Second to Third Reading.