Elon Musk Criticizes Farage’s Leadership Potential for Reform UK

Elon Musk wants to replace Nigel Farage as the leader of Reform UK. The news that the billionaire was in talks to donate money to the party surfaced just a few weeks ago.Musk said on his social media site X that Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the party, but he didn’t say why.Farage said this was because they didn’t agree with Musk’s backing for Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist.”A surprise” was what he said about Musk, but he would “never sell out my principles.”The tech businessman’s comment came just hours after Farage called Musk a “friend” in an interview on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Musk has been a strong backer of Farage and his party. In December, he wrote on X that Britain “absolutely” needs Reform UK.But there was a split this week over Musk’s support for Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who is currently in prison for 18 months for contempt of court.Robinson admitted in court that he broke a court order not to say the same things about a Syrian refugee child again after losing a libel case in 2021.Farage replied to Musk’s comment on social media on Sunday with the following post: “Elon is a remarkable person, 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.”

Just minutes after Farage spoke, Musk wrote on X, “Free Tommy Robinson now.”Farage said that Musk is a “hero” who makes Reform UK “look cool” in an interview that aired earlier on Sunday.He did say, though, that supporting Musk “doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything he says about X.”In response to a question about Robinson, Farage expressed his intention to engage in a conversation with Musk on various topics during the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Farage has stayed close to Trump, and Trump has given Musk a job in his government.The question now is how Farage’s friendship with the president-elect changes. Farage started Reform UK in 2018, which was then known as the Brexit Party. In 2024, he emerged as the party’s leader and secured an MP election.

There was an hour-long meeting between Farage and Musk at Mar-a-Lago in December. They started “open negotiations” about Musk giving money to the party.Musk’s dad, Errol, said that the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon might even be willing to move to the UK and become a citizen in order to give $100 million (£80.5 million) to Reform UK. Subsequently, Farage expressed his belief that the rumors surrounding Musk’s potential move were unfounded.

Musk is an American citizen, so he can’t give money to politicians in the UK. However, he could give money through the British arm of his company, X.
Some people speculate that Musk will donate a significant amount of money to Reform, but it appears that this is not the case at this time. Since he met Farage, Musk has become more interested in UK politics, especially when it comes to criticizing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.Reform UK and the Conservative Party have been calling for a national investigation into grooming gangs for a week now, and Musk has been playing up those calls.
The calls came after the government said the council should lead an investigation into past cases of sexual abuse in Oldham instead of the government.

This led Musk to assert that Sir Keir failed to take sufficient action against “rape gangs” during his tenure as the head of public prosecutions. Musk also said that Jess Phillips, the minister of safety, “deserves to be in prison” and that she was a “rape genocide apologist.”When asked about what Musk said on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said that the CEO had used “very tough terms,” but that “free speech was back” on X when he took it over.A report from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in 2022 said that the police and government in Oldham had “serious failings” that left vulnerable children open to sexual exploitation.The government declined calls for a national investigation, instead instructing Oldham Council to conduct its own investigation. The last Conservative government rejected a similar request in 2022. Phillips and Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, told the Conservatives in a letter that the local government had already begun setting up an investigation.

The letter also talked about the 2022 Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which looked into abuse in churches, care homes, houses, and by groups that groom children.
Along with its own investigations, the report brought together several earlier investigations into grooming gangs that had happened in Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Sunday that the government was “getting on with” putting the report’s 20 suggestions to stop child sexual abuse into action.

What Musk said about Phillips was a “disgraceful smear,” he told the BBC. He added, “People like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips have actually locked up wife beaters, rapists, and child molesters.”

Follow on Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.