Elon Musk endorses petition calling for UK election rematch

The world’s richest man Elon Musk has endorsed a petition calling for another UK general election just four months after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took office.

The news comes a couple of weeks after it was announced Musk would be appointed as a member of Donald Trump’s cabinet* once the President-elect* returned to the White House early next year.

The petition was launched last week by the owner of a pub in the UK’s West Midlands, Michael Westwood, over concerns the government had broken several election promises.

Musk shared an update that the petition had reached 1 million signatures on his social media platform X, posting: “The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical* police state*.”

By Wednesday at 5AM AEDT, the petition had grown to 2.67 million signatures.

In the UK, a petition with more than 10,000 signatures guarantees a response by the government, while a petition that attracts more than 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in the UK parliament.

Petitions on the UK parliament’s website can be established by any member of the public and a valid email address and postcode is required by participants before prompting them for an online signature.

The petition has drawn significant attention in Britain but despite this Sir Keir has ruled out calling another election.

Sir Keir became Prime Minister of the UK in July after the Labour Party won the general election in a landslide victory.

There has been growing backlash over Labour’s budget including increases to taxes, especially a controversial inheritance tax* that will impact farmers, and ongoing cost of living concerns.

Thousands of farmers protested the inheritance tax last week by driving tractors through London and marching at Britain’s parliament.

The Labour government has come under immense criticism in its first few months of power. Sir Keir was interviewed on British TV network ITV’s program Good Morning Britain this week and asked if he felt under pressure.

“Look I remind myself that very many people didn’t vote Labour at the last election, I’m not that surprised that many of them want a re-run,” he said.

“What I focus on is the decisions that I have to make every day.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• cabinet: an advisory body made up of the heads of each executive department that are appointed by the president and considered the closest advisers to the president
• President-elect: person elected to become the next US president who hasn’t officially been sworn in yet
• tyrannical: exercising power in a cruel or unnecessary way
• police state: a state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens
• inheritance tax: tax that people have to pay if a farm is passed down to them by their parents or other family members

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QUICK QUIZ
1. How many people have signed the petition calling for another UK election?
2. Why did pub owner Michael Westwood start the petition?
3. How did Elon Musk publicly endorse the petition?
4. How many signatures are required on a petition in the UK for it to be considered in a debate in parliament?
5. How long has Sir Keir Starmer been the Prime Minister of the UK?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What do you think?
Do you think that a US citizen, like Elon Musk, should get involved in anything to do with an election or the government in the United Kingdom? Write a paragraph explaining your opinion on this question.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship

2. Extension
What has to happen in Australia for a new federal election to be called? Use your research skills to find out. Write down your findings.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.