He has been accused of paying too much attention to UK politics of late, but it appears that Elon Musk has no intention of forming a “special relationship” with his British family.
The world’s richest man has close family ties to Liverpool, where his late grandmother was born, and spent time there on holiday as a child.
But a relative told how the billionaire tech tycoon callously belittled the family when they discovered the connection and tried to make contact.
Speaking for the first time about the family’s relationship with Musk, his cousin Marshall Robinson, 86, said: “I’ve never been in touch but one of the family sent him a message on social media and he just said: ‘What want? ?’ That was it.’
Musk, who is said to be worth more than £380bn, has become one of Britain’s fiercest critics since Sir Keir Starmer’s election victory, warning that the country has become “a tyrannical police state “.
But the South African-born Tesla mogul once proudly declared that he was “of British/English origin, not Afrikaner.”
When Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, the businessman paid tribute on Twitter (which he now owns and has renamed X) saying the late Prime Minister was “tough but sensible and fair like my English Nana”.
Cora Amelia Robinson, one of five children, was born in the family’s modest terraced house in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, in August 1923.
Elon Musk’s cousin Marshall Robinson, 86, says the billionaire businessman snubbed him when he tried to make contact
Musk has previously emphasized his English roots, describing former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as “tough but sensible and fair like my English Nana.”
The garden of Musk’s grandmother’s family home in Liverpool
She grew up in pre-war poverty as part of a “proud, hard-working family” before leaving the United Kingdom to settle in South Africa, where she married Walter Musk in 1944.
The couple had a son, Errol, who had three children: Elon, his brother Kimbal, and his sister Tosca.
In recent weeks, Musk, 53, has declared that he supports the Reform Party and was photographed with leader Nigel Farage and treasurer Nick Candy at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
He is now reportedly preparing to hand over a $100m (£78m) donation to the party.
But after being tracked down by MailOnline, Musk’s British relatives told how the SpaceX founder seemed to have had very little interest in the country or his family who still live here.
Marshall, a retired merchant mariner, criticized Musk for meddling in matters that do not concern him.
Speaking at his modest terraced house in the run-down Lancashire seaside town of Fleetwood, he said: “I think he’s stupid with all the things he says.”
“It’s pretty shocking what he’s become and how he’s linked to President-elect Trump.”
He added: “I’m surprised to now have a link to the White House.
‘I obviously knew we were related because of the name Musk, which is Scottish.
“I’ve never met Elon. I met his father in South Africa when I was in the merchant navy a long time ago.
Robinson says he never met his tycoon cousin on the other side of the Atlantic, but he did meet Musk’s father.
The front of the two-story house where Musk’s grandmother lived in Merseyside
Musk’s grandmother’s kitchen. He grew up in pre-war poverty as part of a “proud, hard-working family” before leaving the UK to settle in South Africa.
One of the bedrooms in the Liverpool house.
Another of the bedrooms in Musk’s former house in Merseyside.
“I’ve never been in touch, but a family member messaged him on social media and just said, ‘What do you want?’ That was it.’
Marshall is one of Cora’s brother Kenneth Robinson’s four children, three of whom still live in the UK.
As well as the North West, Musk also has relatives in Gloucestershire.
Marshall’s sister Shane, 67, also lives in the fishing port and told how she discovered the connection by chance while looking at the family tree.
The mother of five said: ”I haven’t been in contact with Elon and I don’t know what I would say to him.
‘I don’t think Elon has snubbed the family but, as far as I know, he hasn’t shown any interest in us.
‘I have thought about contacting Elon but decided not to; after all, we are his poor relations.
‘I was surprised to find out we were related to him. I didn’t realize the family connection until I started researching our family tree.’
Shane told how he was introduced to Musk’s brother when he was visiting the UK with his grandmother.
She said: “Cora once came to see my dad over 20 years ago, so I asked him, ‘Would you bring her to meet us?’
And he brought them. Cora brought Kimbal with her but Elon was not with them.
‘I decided to look into my father’s side of the family, but I didn’t have much information.
‘Then I looked up Kimbal’s name and then everything about Elon came up. My computer lit up with all this stuff about Elon.
‘It was a big shock.
The living room with red carpet and television. Marshall, a retired merchant mariner, has criticized Musk for meddling in matters that do not concern him.
Outdoor space at Musk’s grandmother’s house in Liverpool. The Tesla founder also has relatives in Gloucestershire
The hallway of Musk’s grandmother’s family home in Liverpool
The backyard house with stone path and manicured lawn.
‘I messaged him and told him I was looking through my family tree and Kimbal said he did remember us.
“I’ve been in contact with Elon’s father and he remembered my father.”
Although he has not met Musk, Shane said he believed he might have been misunderstood.
She said: “A lot of people say he’s a bit crazy, but he’s very smart – smart people often don’t make a good impression.”