Elon Musk has been engaging British PM Sir Keir Starmer in a war of word over the riots sweeping the UK, sparking criticism from politicians.

The tech billionaire branded the prime minister “two-tier Keir” questioning if it was “Britain or the Soviet Union” after a man was reportedly arrested over Facebook comments.

Downing Street spokesperson in response to Musk’s jibe rejected allegations of “two-tier policing” in the UK, saying the government does not “recognise that characterisation”.

Downing Street also condemned remarks made by the owner of X on his own platform, when he stated that “civil war is inevitable”.

Justice minister Heidi Alexander said ‘’Mr Musk’s remarks were “totally unjustifiable”.

She said: “We have got police officers being seriously injured on our streets. People are looting buildings. “They’re setting buildings alight, and for someone who has a big platform, a large following, to be exercising that power in such an irresponsible way, I think is actually pretty unconscionable.”

Ms Alexander added: “I think everyone at the moment should be calling for calm. We have to find a way to tackle this disorder that we’re seeing on our streets and in our communities. We will have, and continue to have, a robust police response. There will be swift and effective justice, but all individuals who have a platform should be behaving responsibly.”

Downing Street said there is no justification for the original comment that “civil war is inevitable”, adding: “We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain.”

The row comes amid growing claims that social media is fuelling the violent disorder seen across UK cities over the last week.