Elon Musk has publicly criticized the UK government after being left off the guest list for a high-profile International Investment Summit scheduled for October.
The Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) owner expressed his frustration on Thursday, responding to a tweet that suggested his exclusion was due to his outspoken social media posts.
“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,” Musk stated on X.
His comment appeared to refer to a UK government early release scheme, though sex offenders are excluded from the program.
Musk’s exclusion from the summit, which aims to attract significant foreign investment, comes after his controversial comments during riots in the UK last month. In a now-deleted post, Musk had predicted civil war in Britain and shared a misleading article related to the riots. His remarks drew widespread criticism, leading to speculation that his absence from the summit is tied to these actions.
While the UK government has not officially commented on Musk’s exclusion, some officials, including former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, have expressed disappointment, noting Musk’s potential as a key investor. Despite this, insiders suggest that Musk’s recent remarks have made his presence at the summit “reputationally risky.”
The summit is expected to draw hundreds of major business figures and companies, with the goal of boosting foreign investment in the UK economy.
The Guardian, BBC, and Independent contributed to this report.
