Elon Musk's hosting of Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, for a discussion on his X platform on Thursday was watched by the European Commission to check for any spreading of misinformation before next month's German election.

Mr Musk's endorsement of the AfD, an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party designated as right-wing-extremist by German security services, has caused consternation in Berlin, where all other parties rule out working with a party they regard as dangerous and undemocratic.

Elon Musk praised the co-leader of the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “very reasonable” on Thursday, urging Germans to vote for the far-right party in what is the latest high-profile sign of the tech billionaire’s involvement in European politics.