Rob Watson

He's sort of anti-Islam, certainly anti-radical Islam. He's currently in prison for contempt of court. Now, Elon Musk has described him as a political prisoner, whereas Nigel Farage has thought, you know, he's a bit beyond the pale, Tommy Robinson. And so that's what they've fallen out over. He wouldn't call him a political prisoner.

He's sort of anti-Islam, certainly anti-radical Islam. He's currently in prison for contempt of court. Now, Elon Musk has described him as a political prisoner, whereas Nigel Farage has thought, you know, he's a bit beyond the pale, Tommy Robinson. And so that's what they've fallen out over. He wouldn't call him a political prisoner.

Four quick theories, right, Oliver? First one, because he can, right? He's fantastically powerful. The second, he has English heritage. The third that I've seen from a friend of his is that he thinks of Britain particularly, but Europe in general, as the birthplace of liberal democracy. He thinks that it's gone wrong in Britain, it's gone wrong in Europe.

Four quick theories, right, Oliver? First one, because he can, right? He's fantastically powerful. The second, he has English heritage. The third that I've seen from a friend of his is that he thinks of Britain particularly, but Europe in general, as the birthplace of liberal democracy. He thinks that it's gone wrong in Britain, it's gone wrong in Europe.

And so now that he's sort of anti-woke, he's keen for that reason. And the fourth theory I've heard is that he's worried about countries like Britain regulating tech companies like his.

And so now that he's sort of anti-woke, he's keen for that reason. And the fourth theory I've heard is that he's worried about countries like Britain regulating tech companies like his.

It certainly is, Oliver. As I said at the start, you know, I mean, I've been covering politics here and elsewhere around the world for decades. I've never seen anything like this, sort of the world's richest man, a tech billionaire, you know, having such a direct effect on politics. And absolutely British politicians, politicians around Europe are struggling as to know what to do.

It certainly is, Oliver. As I said at the start, you know, I mean, I've been covering politics here and elsewhere around the world for decades. I've never seen anything like this, sort of the world's richest man, a tech billionaire, you know, having such a direct effect on politics. And absolutely British politicians, politicians around Europe are struggling as to know what to do.

I mean, their position has been complicated by the fact that Elon Musk is very close to Donald Trump. So maybe if they weren't, they would just say, look, Mr. Musk, shut up. But of course, they don't want to upset Donald Trump. So this is absolutely brand new territory. And let's be frank about it. The politicians here and elsewhere in Europe, they're struggling as to what to do.

I mean, their position has been complicated by the fact that Elon Musk is very close to Donald Trump. So maybe if they weren't, they would just say, look, Mr. Musk, shut up. But of course, they don't want to upset Donald Trump. So this is absolutely brand new territory. And let's be frank about it. The politicians here and elsewhere in Europe, they're struggling as to what to do.

Well, you know that he's 50 years old. He first came to the UK in 2002 to study English. He then got permanent leave to remain in the UK. In other words, he was living here. And what he says he was doing was promoting business contacts between the UK and between China.

Well, you know that he's 50 years old. He first came to the UK in 2002 to study English. He then got permanent leave to remain in the UK. In other words, he was living here. And what he says he was doing was promoting business contacts between the UK and between China.

But what he was accused of by Britain's intelligence agencies, and this was upheld by a court, that he was, in fact, part of a broader Chinese espionage effort intended at, if you like, influencing China. the view of China here in the UK. But he has now come out, as it were, in order to say that's absolute nonsense.

But what he was accused of by Britain's intelligence agencies, and this was upheld by a court, that he was, in fact, part of a broader Chinese espionage effort intended at, if you like, influencing China. the view of China here in the UK. But he has now come out, as it were, in order to say that's absolute nonsense.

You know, he is a legitimate business, and he's just sort of fallen foul of a change in political climate between the UK and China since 2013.

You know, he is a legitimate business, and he's just sort of fallen foul of a change in political climate between the UK and China since 2013.

Well, on the face of it, Catherine, the implication is that it should complicate efforts by the still new-ish Labour government here to improve relations between London and Beijing. But Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, seems to be sticking to the idea of a policy reset and has said...

Well, on the face of it, Catherine, the implication is that it should complicate efforts by the still new-ish Labour government here to improve relations between London and Beijing. But Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, seems to be sticking to the idea of a policy reset and has said...

Yep, while he's concerned about China, he still believes it's perfectly possible to engage with China and cooperate on economics and issues such as climate change, while at the same time challenging it on security and human rights.

Yep, while he's concerned about China, he still believes it's perfectly possible to engage with China and cooperate on economics and issues such as climate change, while at the same time challenging it on security and human rights.