In About-Face, Musk Trashes Farage, U.K.’s Anti-Immigrant Populist

 

In About-Face, Musk Trashes Farage, U.K.’s Anti-Immigrant Populist

 

Elon Musk, the billionaire backer of Donald J. Trump, had been promoting Nigel Farage. But on Sunday Mr. Musk said Mr. Farage “doesn’t have what it takes.”

 

Mark Landler

By Mark Landler

Reporting from London

Jan. 5, 2025, 2:13 p.m. ET

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/world/europe/musk-farage-starmer-uk.html

 

It was an abrupt turnabout, even for the easy-come, easy-go nature of alliances in President-elect Donald J. Trump’s political orbit.

 

For weeks, Elon Musk, Mr. Trump’s billionaire backer, had wrapped his arms around the British populist politician, Nigel Farage, promoting his insurgent, anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K., as the answer to Britain’s problems.

 

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

 

Mr. Musk did not explain his change of heart. But it appears linked to Mr. Farage’s refusal to endorse Mr. Musk’s demand that a far-right agitator, Tommy Robinson, be released from prison. Mr. Farage has distanced himself from Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who has multiple criminal convictions in addition to a history of Islamophobic statements.

 

“Well, this is a surprise!” a studiously chipper Mr. Farage posted an hour after Mr. Musk. “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. Musk’s rupture with Mr. Farage was a new twist in the days-long barrage of increasingly strident, misinformation-filled posts about Britain from Mr. Musk, who appears intent on exercising the same influence in European countries that he did during the American presidential election.

 

He falsely accused the prime minister, Keir Starmer, of failing to go after child rapists when he was head of public prosecutions. And he endorsed a post calling on King Charles III to dissolve Parliament and call elections to remove Britain’s Labour government, a constitutional impossibility.

 

Mr. Musk targeted Britain after boosting a far-right party in Germany, Alternative for Germany. In Britain, where Mr. Musk has condemned the Labour government for its prosecution of online hate speech, among other issues, Mr. Farage seemed to have locked up Mr. Musk’s support.

 

But Mr. Farage appeared to have seen trouble brewing over Mr. Robinson. Speaking to the BBC on Sunday before Mr. Musk’s post, he described the tech billionaire as a “friend” and free speech “hero.” But he added that just because Mr. Musk “supports me politically and supports Reform, doesn’t mean I have to agree with every single statement he makes on X.”

 

Mr. Farage has campaigned for Mr. Trump and made pilgrimages to his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. But Mr. Musk has not hesitated to clash with even longtime allies of Mr. Trump. His support of visas for technology workers has put him at odds with some Trump backers, including Stephen K. Bannon, who accused him of betraying Mr. Trump’s “America First” credo.

 

A rift between Mr. Musk and Mr. Farage could have unpredictable consequences for both men. Mr. Farage, who won a seat in Parliament last July after eight attempts, is an adroit politician who has ridden the populist wave for decades. While Mr. Musk’s posts have drawn a lot of attention, the number of users of X in Britain has declined since he took it over.

 

Mr. Musk appeared to be flirting with another Reform member of Parliament, Rupert Lowe. Replying to a post about whether he should replace Mr. Farage as the party’s leader, Mr. Musk wrote, “I have not met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I have read so far make a lot of sense.”

 

The most immediate impact of Mr. Musk’s rebuke is likely to be on Reform U.K.’s fund-raising. When he was asked during the BBC interview whether he expected Mr. Musk to donate, he said, “He may well do; he may well do. But it’s got to be legal; he’s got to be comfortable with it.”

 

Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The Times, covering the United Kingdom, as well as American foreign policy in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has been a journalist for more than three decades. More about Mark Landler