Elon Musk’s weird U-turn after mocking ‘Liz Lettuce Truss’

Elon Musk appears to be backing disgraced ex-PM Liz Truss – after previously mocking her as “Liz ‘Lettuce’ Truss”.

The X boss has launched attacks on Keir Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips – who is now worried for her safety – in the last week over the UK’s grooming scandal. On Monday the PM hit out at “those who are spreading lies and misinformation” and said the billionaire had “crossed a line” after his abuse led to Ms Phillips receiving serious threats.

One of Mr Musk’s first attacks on Ms Phillips, on New Year’s Day, was in fact in response to Ms Truss’s tweet criticising the Labour minister for rejecting Oldham’s call for a government inquiry into grooming gangs.

Ms Truss said: “This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs. Her title “Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls” is a perversion of the English language. It’s clear whose side she is on.”

It prompted an inflammatory response from Mr Musk, who said: “She deserves to be in prison.” The Trump ally has since ramped up his attacks on the Home Office minister. Meanwhile he has continued to engage with Ms Truss, who on Wednesday morning he quoted with a row of Union Jack flags – seemingly showing his support for her.

But it comes after Mr Musk previously mocked Ms Truss in a critique of Mr Starmer during the summer of riots last year. He responded to a photo of Mr Starmer, saying: “He makes Liz ‘Lettuce’ Truss look good!” Ms Truss, who lasted just 49 days in office, was ridiculed when an iceberg lettuce wearing a blonde wig lasted longer than she did in No10.

Mr Musk’s apparent support of Ms Truss comes after he turned on Nigel Farage last week. It was previously rumoured that the tech guru was going to donate to Reform UK and he was snapped alongside Mr Farage in a photo in the US. But since then he has suggested Mr Farage should be replaced as the party’s leader – showing how he is willing to chop and change his support for individuals at any moment.

A row over the grooming scandal broke out after Ms Phillips wrote to Oldham Council rejecting a government-led inquiry into the issue, saying it must follow other towns such as Rotherham and Telford and commission its own inquiry into historical abuse of children. The Conservatives have called for a new national inquiry – despite failing to launch one when they were in power.

Ms Phillips last night told ITV her initial instinct was to approve Oldham Council’s request to hold a Home Office Inquiry into abuse that happened in the town. But she said she wanted to secure a similar process for Oldham as had been seen previously in Telford’s locally led inquiry, which was “the only one that has ever done anything to actually change the council, the local police, the local CPS.”

“A Home Office led inquiry, that is not what I have seen work,” she said. “I have seen the alternative work, and so I will base my decisions on evidence, not on a very rich man in America.”