Musk turned on Britain’s Farage and said he should resign as leader of the Reform Party Reuters
William Schomberg
LONDON (Reuters) – Elon Musk said Nigel Farage should resign as leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party in a sharp withdrawal of the U.S. billionaire’s support for a Brexit campaigner who is again trying to shake up Britain’s political establishment.
“The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk said on his social platform X on Sunday, hours after Farage described him as a friend who made Reform look “cool”.
Musk – a close ally of US President-elect Donald Trump – appeared to endorse Farage and posed for a photo with him last month.
Reforma won 4.1 million votes or 14% of the total and five seats in the parliament in the national elections last July.
The media has recently speculated that Musk could make a large cash donation to Reform to help it challenge the dominant Labor and Conservative parties.
But Farage distanced himself from comments Musk made in support of British anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, who is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court.
Farage responded to Musk’s announcement on Sunday, saying: “Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual, but I’m afraid I disagree. My opinion remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never betray my principles.”
Last month, Musk endorsed Alternative for Germany, an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party that German security services have labeled as right-wing extremist ahead of national elections in February.
Musk has tried to influence British politics in the past and has repeatedly criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Last week, the founder of Tesla (NASDAQ:
A 2014 investigation found that at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
On Sunday, British Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended Starmer and another member of his cabinet, Jess Phillips, who drew Musk’s ire by allegedly saying any new inquiry should be carried out by local authorities.
“It’s very easy to sit there and shoot something in a hurry and hit send when people like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips have done the hard work of locking up wife-beaters, rapists and pedophiles,” Streeting told the BBC.
