By The Independent (World News) | Created at 2024-10-23 14:35:29 | Updated at 2024-10-23 16:18:25
1 hour ago
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
Elon Musk has declared war on a campaign group founded by Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, accusing the Center for Countering Digital Hate of violating rules “against foreign interference in elections”.
The tech billionaire his team were “going after CCDH and their donors” after a report from the Disinformation Chronicle newsletter, which claimed to have uncovered a strategy document from the group which included a plan to “Kill Musk’s Twitter”.
The report also claims the CCDH sought out meetings with Democratic senators in an attempt to lobby against Mr Musk’s ownership of X.
The CCDH was founded by Morgan McSweeney, who was appointed as Sir Keir’s chief of staff after Sue Gray stepped down earlier this month.
It has campaigned for improvements to online safety as well as having previously criticised multiple social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
Mr McSweeney hasn’t been involved in the company since 2020.
Musk’s latest intervention comes amid an ongoing row between the Labour Party and the Trump campaign, after the Trump-Vance campaign filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) accusing the party of illegal foreign campaign donations.
The complaint was filed after scores of Labour activists including frontline politicians flew across the Atlantic to help campaign for Kamala Harris’s election on 5 November.
The CCDH has been contacted for comment.
