Elon Musk is now more popular with the British public than Keir Starmer, a new poll has revealed.
The Tesla founder, who has grown close to Donald Trump and is set to play a major role in his administration, has a net approval rating of -17, five points better than the Prime Minister on -22.
Mr Musk is a vocal critic of the Labour leader, with the billionaire attacking his response to the summer race riots and most recently accusing him of going ‘full Stalin’ over his inheritance tax raid on farmers.
The JL Partners poll, which surveyed 2,024 adults on November 13 and November 14, revealed that Sir Keir is less liked than all the other major political party leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey – who are both on -1 – and Nigel Farage on -10.
Jeremy Clarkson, who yesterday led farmers in a mass protest in central London, is far more popular than any politician polled, with a net favourability rating of 17.
It comes as Labour peer Lord Mandelson, who is the frontrunner to be Britain’s next ambassador to the US, urged Sir Keir to repair relations with Mr Musk in light of his increasing closeness to Mr Trump.
Sir Keir and Mr Musk,who has an estimated fortune of around $300billion, clashed earlier this year over the widespread rioting in the UK.
The billionaire is now set to be summoned by MPs to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry about X’s role in spreading disinformation during the riots, according to the Guardian, which could pour fuel on the flames of his already volatile relationship with Britain.
The businessman sparked a furious backlash by claiming that ‘civil war is inevitable’ amid the violent chaos in British cities and towns.
He also branded the PM ‘Two Tier Keir’ as he fuelled claims that UK police treat some groups more harshly than others.
But Mr Musk was left red-faced after being forced to retract false claims about Sir Keir setting up detainment camps in the Falkland Islands for rioters.
He was later said to be furious after being snubbed for a government investment summit.
Since Mr Trump’s US election victory, Mr Musk has been appointed by the president-elect to jointly lead a new US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
He has become a prominent figure as Mr Trump prepares to return to the White House and has been dubbed the ‘first buddy’.
Speaking to The Times’ podcast How To Win An Election, Lord Mandelson praised Mr Musk as a ‘sort of technological, industrial, commercial phenomenon’.
‘It would be unwise, in my view, for Britain to ignore him. You cannot pursue these feuds,’ the former Cabinet minister added.
‘You can’t afford to do it. We should try and kick it into touch as soon as possible.
‘If I were the Government here, I’d be asking the embassy in Washington DC to find out who his other British friends are. Who are they all?
‘And they’ve got to be used, I think, as a bridge to Musk. And so that’s what I would do.
‘You know, swallow your pride, find out who his friends are and try and get into those networks.
‘You cannot just continue this feud indefinitely. You’ve got to get over it. You’ve got to, he’s got to be reintroduced to the British Government.
‘And one good way of doing that might be through some of his British friends, even if they are not, as I say, you know, bright red supporters of the Labour Government.’
Asked if that included utilising Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s relationship with Mr Trump and his allies, Lord Mandelson replied: ‘Yes, I would include Nigel Farage.
‘I mean, you can’t ignore him. I mean, he’s an elected MP. He’s a public figure. He’s a bridgehead, both to President Trump and to Elon Musk and others.
‘You’ve got to be pragmatic, practical about this. You’ve got to work the national interest in and that national interest is served in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways.’
Mr Farage is famously friendly with Mr Trump, with the former Brexit Party leader regularly speaking at his rallies and receiving adoring praise from the president-elect.
He was introduced to Mr Musk by Mr Trump in the run-up to the election, and described him to the FT as ‘remarkably normal, affable, personable, amusing, opinionated and passionate’.
The Brexiteer said he asked the billionaire, who was married twice to a British woman, why he had such an ‘extraordinary interest in this little island’.
He said Mr Musk told him the UK was the ‘mother country of the entirety of the English speaking world’, and that it ‘really matters’.
Mr Trump and Mr Musk have recently been pictured together with Argentinian President Javier Milei at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
They have also attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout together, before which they were pictured enjoying a McDonald’s on Mr Trump’s private plane.
And it was reported that Mr Musk joined Mr Trump’s 25-minute call with Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky.
Lord Mandelson, a key architect of New Labour, is seen as the frontrunner to become the UK’s top diplomat in Washington DC after the election of Mr Trump.
He is also among the final five candidates to be the new head of Oxford University, as he competes against other prominent ex-MPs for the prestigious role.
The Labour peer has previously insisted – if he were to be appointed to the two roles – they were ‘not incompatible’ with each other.
Speaking at a press conference at the G20 summit in Brazil last night, Sir Keir refused to be drawn on whether he would follow Lord Mandelson’s advice about Mr Musk.
‘I make no comment about appointments,’ the PM said of reports linking the Labour peer to the US ambassadorship.
‘In relation to relations with the US, obviously it is an important relationship for us.
‘Historically the US-UK relationship has been a special relationship for a reason, forged in difficult circumstances and as important today as it has ever been.
‘In forging that relationship I have obviously spent time with President-elect Trump back in September when I was in New York and we had dinner together, and then spoken to him on the phone.
‘I think that is right in terms of building a relationship as we go forward.’