Analysis by Ali Fortescue, political correspondent
Remember Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk’s cosy fireside AI chat not so long ago?
How much has changed since then.
Politicians came out swinging in all directions this morning on the subject of Elon Musk.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says he is “not interested” in the tech billionaire’s views and called him “ill informed”.
Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice instead called him “popular, appreciated by many, many people in this country”.
Views may differ, but why is a US entrepreneur once again dominating the political conversation in the UK?
He has shown a relentless willingness to spend time attacking the British government, wading in on a whole range of issues to his 210.8 million followers on X.
But it is hard to predict where Mr Musk will go next, and that makes things difficult for all parties – even Reform UK.
He has not just shown support for Nigel Farage, but recently Tommy Robinson too, someone Mr Farage has been keen to distance himself from over the years.
The Reform UK leader carefully navigated questions about Mr Musk on Friday, but any deal on money flowing from Mr Musk to Reform UK won’t be totally straightforward.
This row about Jess Philips is of course fundamentally about something much more serious. Child sexual exploitation, grooming gangs allowed to target young women in places like Rochdale.
Once again though British political debate is focused on Elon Musk’s words.