Musk turns on UK’s Farage and says he should quit as Reform party leader
LONDON — Elon Musk said Nigel Farage should quit as leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party in an abrupt withdrawal of support by the U.S. billionaire for the Brexit campaigner who is trying to shake up the British political establishment again.
“The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk said on his social media platform X on Sunday, a few hours after Farage described him as a friend who made Reform look “cool”.
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Musk – a close ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump – had seemingly backed Farage and posed for a photograph with him last month.
Reform won 4.1 million votes or 14% of the total and five seats in parliament in last July’s national election.
Farage has previously said he is in negotiations with Musk about the billionaire donating to Reform to help it challenge the dominant Labour and Conservative parties.
But Farage has distanced himself from comments made by Musk in support of British anti-immigration and anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, who is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court.
Farage responded to Musk’s post on Sunday saying: “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.”
Last month, Musk endorsed the Alternative for Germany, an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party labelled as right-wing-extremist by German security services, ahead of national elections in February.
Musk has previously sought to influence British politics and has criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeatedly since anti-immigration riots last summer.
