(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk appears to have turned on Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage, the right-wing populist and friend of US President-elect Donald Trump he previously supported.
“Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk posted on his social media platform X on Sunday, saying the party “needs a new leader.”
It’s an abrupt about-turn by the Tesla Inc. chief executive, who just days ago said “only” Farage’s Reform UK can “save” Britain while calling for fresh elections in the country. Both men recently met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, with Farage touting a possible donation by Musk to his party.
The billionaire, a key adviser to Trump, didn’t explain his change of position but his post came hours after Farage had distanced himself from some of Musk’s most inflammatory attacks on UK politicians.
In an interview broadcast on BBC earlier on Sunday, Farage said that while Musk is “allowed to have an opinion,” he doesn’t “agree with everything he stands for.” He has also previously dissociated himself with Musk’s call to free far-right activist Tommy Robinson from prison.
“But I do believe in free speech,” Farage said on Sunday. “I think he’s a hero.”
Musk’s public support for Robinson had already set off alarms among senior politicians on the UK right. Several prominent Brexit-supporting politicians with links to Trump last week warned their Republican counterparts against following Musk’s endorsement, saying it was a step too far, according to people familiar with the views of both the Conservative and Reform UK parties.
The billionaire’s repudiation of Farage follows days of attacks against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he accused of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” for his actions as the country’s chief prosecutor during a child sex abuse scandal. He has also criticized safeguarding minister Jess Phillips in inflammatory language that has prompted pushback from the UK government.
Earlier on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the comments as “disgraceful,” arguing that Musk can do more to combat abuse in his role as a social media platform owner.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to say. It’s ill-informed,” Streeting said. “If he wants to roll his sleeves up and actually do something about tackling violence against women and girls, then online platforms, whether X or any of the other platforms, have got a role to play in keeping people safe.”
On Sunday, Musk posted in support of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has called for a national inquiry into the child sex abuse scandal.
(Updates with context from seventh paragraph, Musk’s comment on Kemi Badenoch in final paragraph.)
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