News

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

10 Jan 2025
© NORAD and USNORTHCOM
© NORAD and USNORTHCOM

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.

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.

Hansard Society

UK Parliament

Petitions (Parliament)

Hansard (Westminster Hall)

UK Parliament

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.

Subscribe to Parliament Matters

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.

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 23-27 June 2025

MPs will debate the spending plans (Main Estimates) of six government departments and approve all departmental spending for this financial year. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP will answer questions from the Treasury Committee on the Spending Review, and the Governor of the Bank of England will discuss the state of the economy with the Lords Economic Affairs Committee. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his ministerial team will face questions from MPs in the Chamber. The Foreign Affairs Committee will hear from the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, about the conflict with Iran. There will be backbench debates on Pride Month and Armed Forces Day. And experts will be asked whether the earth is prepared for an asteroid collision.

22 Jun 2025
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #14 - MPs back assisted dying bill in historic vote

This week, we reflect on a landmark moment in UK parliamentary history: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons, moving one step closer to legalising assisted dying in England and Wales. We are joined once again by former House of Commons Clerk Paul Evans to examine how this Private Member’s Bill navigated the political and procedural obstacles in its path and to explore what lies ahead in the House of Lords. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

21 Jun 2025
Read more

Guides / How does Parliament approve Government spending? A procedural guide to the Estimates process

In order to incur expenditure the Government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its departmental spending plans. The annual Estimates cycle is the means by which the House of Commons controls the Government’s plans for the spending of money raised through taxation.

16 Jan 2023
Read more

Blog / What role does Parliament play in the Spending Review?

The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.

09 Jun 2025
Read more

Submissions / Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties - Our evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee

Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.

03 Jun 2025
Read more