Elon Musk turns on Nigel Farage and calls for new leader of Reform
"President" Musk has called for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader
hours after Farage described the billionaire businessman as “a hero”,
in what is likely to be a preview of how a chaotic Donald Trump could affect British politics.
Farage, who is also the de facto owner of Reform, “doesn’t have what it takes”,
Musk said on X, the social media platform he owns, less than three weeks after the pair held seemingly warm talks at Trump’s Florida home.
“The Reform party needs a new leader,” he wrote.
Musk, 53, who has sent a mass of largely misleading posts in recent days about a series of aspects of UK politics, appeared to endorse #Rupert #Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, as a possible replacement, saying statements he had read from Lowe “make a lot of sense”.
Later, Lowe backed Farage, posting on X:
“Nigel is leader of Reform. He made Brexit happen, and for that I will always be grateful.
“I look forward to working with Nigel and the entire team to continue to hold this incompetent Labour party to account, democratise our own party, win the next election and form a Reform government.”
The sudden change of heart from Musk is highly embarrassing for Farage,
who had just spent much of a TV interview earlier on Sunday refusing to condemn the businessman for inflammatory comments about Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips,
including calling the latter a “rape genocide apologist”.
Farage, 60, indicated Musk’s statement could be connected to a disagreement about #Tommy #Robinson,
the jailed far-right anti-Islam agitator whom Musk has characterised as a political prisoner,
but whom Farage condemns.
“Well, this is a surprise!” Farage wrote on X after Musk’s tweet.
“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.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/05/farage-refuses-to-condemn-free-speech-hero-musks-remarks-on-jess-phillips?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
