Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has branded Elon Musk a criminal and urged Parliament to summon him to explain his remarks at a central London rally. He has also called for an Ofcom investigation into X, and into Musk personally, under duties set out in the Online Safety Act. Sir Ed is due to address the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday, where he is expected to press the case further.

Speaking ahead of the conference, he argued Musk should be held to account for statements about civil war and the overthrow of the democratically elected government, and for advertisements on the platform that allegedly promote self-harm, grooming or paedophile acts.

The Lib Dems plan to table a motion when Parliament returns to force Musk to appear before MPs at the House of Commons bar for a public admonition. The bar has not been used since 1957 against a non-MP. The Lib Dems are seeking cross-party backing for the move. The dispute followed Musk’s appearance at the Unite the Kingdom rally in central London and his video message; Downing Street condemned his remarks. Musk later branded Davey a craven coward in reply.