Elon Musk turns on Nigel Farage and calls for Reform UK leader to be replaced

It’s all turned sour so quickly…

It’s all turned sour so quickly. It was only last month that Farage was boasting about his meeting with Elon Musk, with talks that the tech billionaire would be making a game changing donation to Reform UK, the biggest in British political history.

And yet just weeks later, Musk has turned on Farage, taking to his X platform to call for him to be replaced as Reform UK leader saying that the arch Brexiteer does not have ‘what it takes’.

Farage and Musk have been in disagreement over Musk’s support for the far-right Tommy Robinson. The Trump appointee has called for Robinson’s release in a number of posts in recent days, while Farage has condemned Robinson, telling GB News that Mr Musk “sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs”.

“But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court,” he said.

Farage added: “We’re a political party aiming to win the next general election. He’s not what we need.”

Musk has posted a number of misleading posts in recent days about a series of aspects of UK politics, appearing to endorse Rupert Lowe. He also called Labour MP Jess Phillips a “rape genocide apologist”.

Responding to Musk’s post calling for him to be replaced, Farage posted on X: “Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”

The latest incident is particularly embarrassing for Farage given that just hours earlier on Sunday, the Reform UK leader used an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg where he heaped praise on Musk and called him ‘a hero’.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward