Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Musk quietly puts brakes on plans for new political party, WSJ says
Aug 19 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk is quietly putting the brakes on plans to start his new political party, telling allies he wants to focus on his companies, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the plans. Musk unveiled the 'America Party' in July after a public dispute with President Donald Trump on the tax cut and spending bill. He has recently been focused in part on maintaining ties with Vice President JD Vance, the paper said, and has acknowledged to associates that forming a political party would damage his relationship with Vance. Musk, the world's richest man, and his associates have told people close to Vance that the billionaire is considering using some of his financial resources to back Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028, the paper said. The CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab and SpaceX spent nearly $300 million in 2024 to help Trump and other Republicans get elected, exerting enormous influence in the first few weeks of Trump's term as head of the newly created efficiency department (DOGE). Reuters could not immediately verify the Journal report. Tesla and the White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours. Vance, who had called for a truce following Musk's all-public feud with Trump, reaffirmed his position this month and said he had asked Musk to return to the Republican fold. Tesla shares are down more than 18% this year after it posted in July its worst quarterly sales decline in more than a decade and profit that missed Wall Street targets, though its profit margin was better than many had feared. Musk also warned of "a few rough quarters" after the end of support for electric vehicles by the Trump administration. Investors worry whether he will be able to devote enough time and attention to Tesla after locking horns with Trump over his ambitions for a new political party.
Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Starmer returns to Scotland after family holiday interrupted by Ukraine talks
The Prime Minister's plane flew from the US to Glasgow overnight following the White House discussions, landing on Tuesday morning. It had taken off from the same airport the previous day when Sir Keir was heading to the US for the brief trip. On his return to Scotland, Sir Keir will co-chair a call of the so-called 'coalition of the willing', a group of nations looking to help Ukraine that he has been leading with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the second summer in a row that the Prime Minister's holiday plans have been disrupted after he cancelled a European trip last August when rioting broke out in the UK and tensions escalated in the Middle East. The Prime Minister also delayed his departure for a trip last Christmas following the death of his brother aged 60 who had been suffering from cancer. A minister has said it is an 'occupational hazard' that prime ministers can see their holidays disrupted. Pensions minister Torsten Bell told Sky News that Sir Keir has been making a 'real difference' in the negotiations over Ukraine. He told the broadcaster: 'It is an occupational hazard for prime ministers that holidays are interrupted. You'll have been covering that for years. 'I've been around British politics enough to have seen that happen, unfortunately, year after year. 'I want the Prime Minister to have a rest […] all we want to do is make sure that we're addressing these big issues, and that in this summer means making sure we get those security guarantees in Ukraine.'
Rhyl Journal
7 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes
The company applied for a licence from the energy regulator last month, aiming to start supplying power to homes and businesses in England, Scotland and Wales as soon as next year. But its billionaire owner's political activity, including his support for Donald Trump and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has drawn objections to the application from the public. Campaign group Best for Britain has urged the public to write to Ofgem, arguing Mr Musk is not a 'fit and proper' person to have 'a foothold in our essential services'. Some 8,462 people have used the group's online tool to lodge objections with Ofgem so far. 🚨 BREAKING NEWS – THOUSANDS MORE LETTERS SENT 🚨 📈Thousands of you have taken action so far and sent a letter to Ofgem – will you join us and help stop Musk? ✍️It only takes two minutes to send Ofgem our — Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) August 17, 2025 Best for Britain's chief executive Naomi Smith said: 'We've all had a front row seat to Musk's malign influence, turning Twitter into an incubator for right-wing hate, promoting baseless conspiracy theories and helping Trump secure a second term as US president – something that continues to change our world in profoundly dangerous ways. 'British people are rightly against Musk being anywhere near our electricity supply and that's why we are encouraging more people to make their views known before Friday by using our online tool to write to Ofgem and say they oppose this power grab – it only takes two minutes.' Members of the public have until Friday to comment on the application, after which Ofgem will decide whether to grant Tesla a licence to supply electricity. The electric car manufacturer, run by the world's richest man, also has a solar energy and battery storage business. Tesla has been involved in the UK energy market since 2020, when it was granted a licence to be an electricity generator. In the US, the group has been an electricity supplier in Texas for the past three years. The application comes amid a backdrop of waning demand for Tesla's electric vehicles across Europe in recent months. Industry figures showed an almost 60% plunge in the number of new Tesla registrations in the UK in July, compared with a year earlier. Data showed that 987 new vehicles were registered in the UK in July compared with 2,462 in the same month a year earlier. Tesla was approached for comment for this story.
