“The friendship is well and truly dead.”
A week is a long time in politics. Farage had only last month been boasting about how great his relationship with Elon Musk was, as the far-right party courted the tech billionaire’s support.
It was reported that Musk was considering making a game changing donation to Reform UK, in order to help boost the party before the next general election. And yet over the weekend it all turned sour as Musk turned on Farage, claiming that the Clacton MP did not have what it takes to lead the party.
The pair have had a disagreement over the far-right former leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson. Musk 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.
With Musk’s donation now looking increasingly unlikely, Farage has now claimed that he doesn’t need the tech billionaire to raise the funds he had been so desperately asking the owner of X for.
The Reform UK leader told the Telegraph: “We have got a burgeoning membership and we will raise the money we need anyway.”
His claims of not really being fussed have been ridiculed online, given he spent months trying to win Musk over.
One user on X posted: “I might be in the minority, but I think this is a blow to Reform”, while another added: “The friendship is well and truly dead.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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