The brief alliance between Nigel Farage and Elon Musk has collapsed after Musk publicly criticized Farage's leadership. Some Reform insiders believe the controversy may have ultimately benefited the party, while others question the impact of the sudden shift.
The Reform leader’s dalliance with the US billionaire looks in trouble after an abrupt about-turn from the X boss. The Guardian was told with a dry chuckle on being asked whether he might attempt a rapprochement with the world’s richest man. It has been quite the three weeks since Farage and Reform’s treasurer, Nick Candy, enjoyed a well-publicised meeting with Musk.
According to Farage’s own account at the time, Musk had been “generous with his time” and there had been talks about a donation to Reform’s coffers. It appeared to herald a new dawn in British politics. “He described the Labour and Conservative parties as the uniparty, and left us in no doubt that he is right behind us,” Farage wrote of their discussions on 16 December. On 2 January, Musk, among his many tweets about the UK and child abuse, tweeted: “Britain needs Reform now.” By Sunday, a different mood had taken the capricious billionaire. “The Reform party needs a new leader,” Musk informed his 211 million followers. “Farage doesn’t have what it takes.” The unlikely bromance appeared to be over. The cause was seemingly Farage’s attempt to distance himself from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, the convicted fraudster and former English Defence League leader who is in prison for contempt of court. But does it really matter? It has been contended by some Reform insiders that the row has only helped the party by distinguishing it in the public consciousness from Robinson’s worldview. “And there was never going to be a donation ,” said Gawain Towler, who was a press adviser to Farage until October. It was something cooked up in the media, and stoked by the principal players for their own purposes, he suggested. Speculation about a donation had been a PR gift for Farage, who had admitted on Sunday that the association with the Tesla boss had given Reform a certain “cool”; and “there is devilment in Musk”, Towler added
ELON MUSK NIGEL FARAGE REFORM PARTY BRITISH POLITICS TWITTER
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