Elon Musk: Farage doesn’t have what it takes

Jacquelin Magnay The Australian January 6, 2025

 

In an extraordinary intervention, Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest men and the confidante of incoming US president Donald J. Trump, has called for a new political leader of one of Britain’s political parties. Mr Musk called for Nigel Farage, whose leadership of the British political party Reform UK has elevated it to be a serious rival to the Conservative Party, to stand down insisting he “doesn’t have what it takes”.

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Mr Musk has apparently taken umbrage at Mr Farage’s refusal to allow far right protagonist Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, to become involved with Reform UK.

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Robinson is serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court after breaching a court order not to defame a Syrian refugee.

He has previously been jailed for assault and contempt of court.

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Mr Musk tweeted on Sunday: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”

Mr Farage said Mr Musk was a “remarkable individual”, but reiterated that Robinson, currently in jail for contempt of court, was not a suitable fit for the party.

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Mr Farage replied to Mr Musk 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.”

 

Mr Nigel Farage had met Mr Musk before Christmas at Mr Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. There had been suggestions that Mr Musk may make a substantial donation to the Reform UK party.

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In the past few days Mr Musk had been boosting Mr Robinson’s views, which led to Mr Farage insisting the activist was not what the party needed.

In the latest tweet, Mr Musk even suggested another Reform politician, Rupert Lowe, “made a lot of sense” to replace Mr Farage.

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Mr Musk’s statements have appeared to cool the bromance between him and Mr Farage, putting Mr Trump in an interesting position as they are both keen supporters of his.

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The British politician had also previously described Mr Musk as “cool” and that he would help the Reform UK party resonate with younger voters.

On Sunday he downplayed the differences of opinion.

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But in recent weeks Mr Musk, who is tipped to be named in Mr Trump’s administration as co-chairman of the Department of Government Efficiency, has overtly criticised Britain’s domestic politics. He claimed one senior Labour minister, Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, deserves to be in prison for not opening a new inquiry into widespread child sexual exploitation carried out by gangs of men of Pakistani origin in Oldham, Greater Manchester. He smeared her as a “rape genocide apologist”.

Mr Musk also accused the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service at the time of the offences, to be complicit “in the rape of Britain”.

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On Sunday Mr Farage distanced himself from Mr Musk’s remarks, telling the BBC: “The fact that Musk supports me and supports Reform doesn’t mean, as two grown-ups, we have to agree with everything the other says.

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“I believe in free speech even if what people say is offensive – if you find it offensive, if most people find it offensive.

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“Would I rather live in a world where we’re free to cause offence rather than a world in which free speech and debate get shut down? I know which of those two I prefer.”

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However, he acknowledged that Mr Musk’s remarks about Ms Phillips were “very, very tough”.