He’s been accused of paying too much attention to British politics lately, but it appears Elon Musk has no plans to forge 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 on holiday there as a young child.
But a family member told how the billionaire tech mogul cruelly rebuffed the family when they discovered the connection and tried to make contact.
Speaking for the first time about the family relationship with Musk, his cousin Marshall Robinson, 86, said: “I’ve never been in touch, but one of the family members did message him on social media and he just said, ‘What do you want?’ ‘ That’s it.’
Musk – who is reportedly worth more than £380 billion – 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 tycoon once proudly declared that he was “of a British/English background and not an Afrilkaner background.”
When Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, the entrepreneur paid tribute on Twitter – which he now owns and has been renamed X – saying the late Prime Minister was “tough but sensible and honest, just like my English grandmother”.
Cora Amelia Robinson, one of five siblings, was born in August 1923 in the family’s modest terraced house in Mossley Hill, Liverpool.
Elon Musk’s 86-year-old cousin Marshall Robinson says he was rejected by the billionaire businessman when he tried to make contact
Musk has previously emphasized his English roots and described former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as ‘tough but sensible and honest like my English Nana’
The garden at Musk’s grandmother’s house in Liverpool
She grew up in pre-war poverty as part of a “proud, hardworking family” before leaving Britain to settle in South Africa, where she married Walter Musk in 1944.
The couple subsequently had a son Errol, who had three children of his own: Elon, brother Kimbal and sister Tosca.
In recent weeks, Musk, 53, has declared himself a supporter of 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 $100 million donation to the party.
But after being tracked down by MailOnline, Musk’s British connections told how the SpaceX founder previously seemed to have very little interest in the country or his family who still live here.
Marshall, a retired merchant mariner, attacked Musk for interfering in matters that did not concern him.
Speaking from his modest terraced house in the run-down Lancashire seaside town of Fleetwood, he said: ‘I think he’s being stupid with all the things he’s coming out with.
“It’s quite shocking with what he’s become and how connected he is to President-elect Trump.”
He added: “I am shocked that I 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.
Mr Robinson says he has never met his tycoon cousin across the Atlantic, but he has met Musk’s father.
The front of the two-storey house where Musk’s grandmother lived in Merseyside
Musk’s grandmother’s kitchen. She grew up in pre-war poverty as part of a ‘proud, hardworking family’ before leaving Britain to settle in South Africa
One of the bedrooms in the house in Liverpool
Another of the bedrooms in the former Musk home in Merseyside
“I never had any contact, but a family member did message him on social media and he just said, ‘What do you want?’ That’s it.’
Marshall is one of four children born to Cora’s brother Kenneth Robinson, three of whom still live in Britain.
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 had any contact with Elon – and I don’t know what I would say to him.
“I don’t think Elon has rejected the family, but as far as I know he hasn’t shown any interest in us.
“I thought about contacting Elon, but I decided not to; after all, we are his bad relations.
‘I was shocked when I heard we were related to him. I didn’t realize the family connection until I started researching our family tree.’
Shane told how she was introduced to Musk’s brother when he visited Britain with his grandmother.
She said, “Cora came to visit my father more than 20 years ago, so I asked him, ‘Would you like to bring her to meet us?’
“And he took them. Cora brought Kimbal with her, but Elon wasn’t with them.
‘I decided to research my father’s side of the family, but I didn’t have much information.
‘I then searched Kimbal’s name and everything about Elon came up. My computer lit up with all this Elon stuff.
‘It was a big shock.
The living room with red carpet and television. Marshall, a retired sailor, has attacked Musk for interfering 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 at Musk’s grandmother’s childhood home in Liverpool
The house from the backyard with stone path and manicured lawn
“I messaged him and said I was looking through my family tree and Kimbal said he remembered us.
“I contacted Elon’s father and he remembered my father.”
Although she hasn’t met Musk yet, Shane said she thought he might be misunderstood.
She said: ‘A lot of people say he’s a bit crazy, but he’s very intelligent. Intelligent people often don’t come across very well.’