Elon Musk has labeled a top British scientist a "tool" and attacked his work after the scientist was caught breaking lockdown to rendezvous with his married lover.

Neil Ferguson, 52, leads a team at Imperial College London that published the paper that helped persuade the UK government to introduce its national lockdown. His advice has also been cited by the White House and other governments.

Ferguson on Tuesday resigned as a formal adviser to the UK government after a British newspaper revealed that he had been breaching the lockdown rules in his private life.

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The Daily Telegraph reported that Ferguson had allowed his lover, the 38-year-old Antonia Staats, to break lockdown and visit him at his London home during the crisis.

In a series of tweets Tuesday night prompted by images of the Telegraph story, Musk went after Ferguson, calling him an "utter moron" and "tool."

"This guy has caused massive strife to the world with his absurdly fake 'science,'" Musk tweeted.

Musk is an outspoken critic of coronavirus lockdowns, which he described recently as "fascist." He has repeatedly posted tweets suggesting that responses to the pandemic have been excessive or based on poor evidence.

Since Ferguson's models are based on predictions and hypothetical scenarios, it would be difficult to conclusively prove that any of their conclusions are "fake."

But it is certainly true that many epidemiologists have criticized Ferguson's work, as detailed in a recent profile of Ferguson by Business Insider.

Ferguson apologized for violating lockdown rules in a statement published by The Telegraph.

"I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus, and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms," he said.

"I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic. The government guidance is unequivocal, and is there to protect all of us."

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