In the British political game, Elon Musk decided on Sunday to review his bet. The billionaire, very close to Donald Trump, has in fact made it known that the far-right Reform UK party must change its leader, Nigel Farage, whom he has supported until now.
“The Reform party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t fit the bill,” wrote Elon Musk on his social network
“A surprise” for Farage
MP since July, Nigel Farage recently claimed to be in “negotiations” with Elon Musk over funding for his party. He met the billionaire in mid-December at Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Nigel Farage was quick to respond to Elon Musk’s message, also on X: “Well, that’s a surprise! Elon is a remarkable person, but I’m afraid I disagree on this point. »
Elon Musk has made numerous comments in recent days on British politics on his social network. He has repeatedly attacked the Labor government of Keir Starmer, calling for new elections to be held in the United Kingdom. He also called for the release of far-right activist Tommy Robinson. And it is on this point that the quarrel between Elon Musk and Nigel Farage seems to have its roots. The latter in fact distanced himself from the Tesla boss on this subject on Friday. “I still think Tommy Robinson is not good for Reform and I will never give up on my principles,” explained Nigel Farage.
Robinson more times convicted
Tommy Robinson is an emblematic figure of the British far right. He was sentenced at the end of October to 18 months in prison for violating a 2021 court decision which prohibited him from repeating defamatory comments towards a Syrian refugee. In 2009, he founded a small group from the hooligan movement, the English Defense League, an anti-immigration and anti-Muslim movement. He has already been convicted on several occasions, notably for disturbing public order.
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In the general elections in July, which saw Keir Starmer’s Labor Party come to power after 14 years of conservative governments, Reform UK gathered some 14% of the vote and entered Parliament with five seats. Nigel Farage’s formation took many votes from the Conservatives, who suffered the worst defeat in their history.