Musk appears by videolink at London rally as Sunday papers push questions over Mandelson appointment
Several Sunday front pages lead with Elon Musk's remote appearance at the 'Unite the Kingdom' march while reports also surface that Sir Keir Starmer was warned about Lord Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein
Elon Musk, the technology entrepreneur, appeared via videolink at the "Unite the Kingdom" rally in London on Saturday, a development splashed across several Sunday front pages that highlighted the role of high-profile tech figures in political events.
The Observer ran the headline "Musk marches on London" and featured a prominent photograph of Tommy Robinson, organiser of the march, while the Sunday Times and other papers used the phrase "Musk wades in" to describe the intervention. Several titles also reported on the donors and backers associated with the march.
Coverage of Musk's videolink appearance shared space on front pages with separate political developments. The Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph led with reporting that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was handed a two-page dossier warning about Lord Peter Mandelson's relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein prior to Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to Washington.
Both papers said No 10 subsequently sent Lord Mandelson three questions about the extent of his relationship with Epstein and that his answers "appeared to satisfy" officials at the time. The reporting said the publication of those details has prompted renewed scrutiny of the prime minister's judgment and left some MPs questioning his leadership ahead of the next general election.
The Mail on Sunday reported that additional materials from what it described as the "Epstein Files" could include emails involving the Duke of York and said US lawmakers were reviewing potentially "incriminating" messages. The reporting said those materials might be made public after review.
Elsewhere in Sunday coverage, the Daily Express carried a report that Sir Keir had created a separate economic team within No 10, framing it as an effort to counter perceived disorder in his premiership, while the Sunday Mirror published an interview with the new foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, in which she said the UK would "never give up on Ukraine" and warned that unchecked Russian aggression would harm European security.
News organisations varied in their editorial framing: national titles combined reporting on a tech billionaire's remote participation in a political march with investigations and political fallout surrounding senior figures in government and the royal family. The juxtaposition of those stories underlined the continuing overlap in Sunday coverage between digital-era interventions by wealthy technology figures and traditional political controversies.
The weekend papers also carried lighter and celebrity stories, reflecting the range of material on display in Sunday editions. The coverage of Musk's videolink appearance is the latest example of how remote communications technology allows prominent individuals to address political events without being physically present, a development newsrooms noted while reporting the political implications and public reaction.
Reporting in the Sunday titles will likely inform public and parliamentary debate in the coming days, with both the questions about Lord Mandelson's vetting and the wider discussion around the involvement of wealthy tech figures in political movements remaining subjects of attention for policymakers, journalists and commentators.