Ed Davey has accused Elon Musk of being “rattled” after Tesla voiced its concerns about the possibility of a trade war because of Donald Trump’s tariff plans.
The Lib Dem leader has had an ongoing feud with the X owner, who described him as a “snivelling cretin” after he criticised him on the social media platform.
Davey hit back by calling on the government to draw up plans to slap import tariffs on Tesla cars.
It has now emerged that Tesla, which Musk also owns, has written to the US government setting out its fears over Trump imposing huge tariffs on the likes of Canada and the EU.
The company said: “US exporters are inherently exposed to disproportionate impacts when other countries respond to US trade actions.
“For example, past trade actions by the United States have resulted in immediate reactions by the targeted countries, including increased tariffs on EVs (electric vehicles) imported into those countries.”
Responding to the news on X, Davey said: “Looks like we’ve got Elon Musk rattled.”
The pair’s spat began when the Lib Dem leader said Musk “clearly knows nothing about Britain” at the height of the row over child grooming gangs.
Musk - a close ally of Trump and the head of the US administration’s new Department for Government Efficiency - hit back: “What exactly do I fail to understand about your failure to stop the mass rape of little girls in Britain, you snivelling cretin?”
HuffPost UK revealed how the Lib Dems were even using the feud to raise funds for the party.