It was a sudden turn, even for the easy-going and loose nature of the alliances in the political orbit of President-elect Donald J. Trump.
For weeks, Elon Musk, the billionaire who supports Mr. Trump, embraced British populist politician Nigel Farage, promoting his insurgent, anti-immigrant party, Reform UK, as the answer to Britain’s problems.
But on Sunday, Mr. Musk announced“Reformists need a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
Mr Musk did not explain his change of heart. But it appears to be linked to Mr Farage’s refusal to back Mr Musk’s demand that the far-right agitator, Tommy Robinson, be released from prison. Mr. Farage distanced himself from Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who has multiple criminal convictions along with a history of Islamophobic statements.
“Well, this is a surprise!” a studious shredder Mr. Farage announced an hour after Mr. A man. “Elon is an extraordinary person, but I’m afraid I don’t agree with this. My opinion remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never betray my principles.”
Termination of Mr. Muska with Mr. Farage was a new turn in the multi-day fire of increasingly harsh, full of misinformation posts about britain from mr muskwho seems intent on exerting the same influence in European countries as he did during the American presidential elections.
He falsely accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of not prosecuting child rapists when he was head of public prosecutions. And he supported the fast by inviting King Charles III. to dissolve parliament and call elections to replace the British Labor government, which is a constitutional impossibility.
Mr Musk set his sights on Britain after boosting Germany’s far-right party, the Alternative for Germany. In Britain, where Mr. Musk slammed the Labor government for its crackdown on online hate speech, including Mr. Farage seems to have withheld support from Mr. A man.
But it seems that Mr. Farage saw the trouble brewing around Mr. Robinson. Speaking to the BBC on Sunday before Mr Musk’s announcement, he described the tech billionaire as a “friend” and “hero” of free speech. But he added that just because Mr. Musk “supports me politically and supports reform, doesn’t mean I have to agree with every statement he makes about X.”
Mr. Farage campaigned for Mr. Trump and made a pilgrimage to his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. But Mr. Musk has not hesitated to clash even with longtime allies of Mr. Trump. His support for visas for tech workers has put him at odds with some Trump supporters, including Stephen K. Bannon, who accused him of betraying Trump’s “America First” credo.
The discord between Mr. Muska and Mr. Farage could have unpredictable consequences for both of them. Mr Farage, who won a seat in parliament last July after eight attempts, is a skilled politician who has been riding the populist wave for decades. Although Mr Musk’s posts have attracted a lot of attention, the number of X users in Britain has fallen since he took over.
It seemed that Mr. Musk is flirting with another Reformist MP, Rupert Lowe. Responding to a post about whether Mr Farage should be replaced as party leader, Mr. Musk wrote“I haven’t met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I’ve read so far make a lot of sense.”
The most immediate effect of Mr Musk’s reprimand is likely to be on fundraising for Reform UK. When he was asked during the BBC interview whether he expected Mr. Musk to donate, he said: “Maybe they will; you might as well do it. But it must be legal; he must be comfortable with it.”
