Campaigners fight Musk's plans for UK ‘energy power grab'
The campaign group Best for Britain, known for fighting against Brexit, has collected more than 8,000 letters from protesters who want to 'stop Musk's energy power grab'.
Their opposition has emerged in response to Tesla's plans to launch its own electricity provider in Britain in the coming months, taking on the likes of Octopus Energy and British Gas.
Details of Tesla's plans to sell power to UK households were first revealed in The Telegraph, which reported earlier this month that the US electric car maker had applied to Ofgem for an electricity supply licence.
The public has until Friday to submit a response to Tesla's application, with Best for Britain attempting to build opposition by overseeing an online campaign against Mr Musk.
In a pre-written letter which can be signed by activists, the campaign group says that the billionaire 'should not be allowed anywhere near our energy supply'.
The group says that Mr Musk's recent work for Donald Trump and his cost-cutting department of government efficiency (Doge) 'should be unacceptable and disqualifying qualities for entrance into our energy markets'.
Soros-backed group
Best for Britain had previously campaigned against Brexit but has since reinvented itself as an 'internationalist' organisation and pollster.
The group has been funded by George Soros, the Left-wing billionaire whom Mr Musk has repeatedly accused of funding anti-Tesla protests.
Naomi Smith, Best for Britain's chief executive, 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.'
Ofgem is supposed to consider each submission made to electricity licence applications.
Best for Britain's boilerplate letter, which only requires signatories to write their name, states: 'Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter (now X) has enabled the rapid spread of misinformation, hatred and conspiracy theories in the UK and across the wider world.'
It urges Ofgem to 'reject Tesla's application and protect our country from the influence of such a volatile individual', with thousands of letters set to be delivered to the regulator later this month.
Tesla is seeking to push into Britain's electricity market after launching an energy supplier in Texas three years ago.
Its operation could integrate with the thousands of households that already own Tesla Powerwall batteries in an attempt to create a 'virtual power plant' that can power houses at peak demand.
The company also offers Tesla owners cheaper electric car charging. Sales of Teslas have slumped in Britain in recent months, which has been partly attributed to a backlash against Mr Musk's support for Mr Trump.
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