UKIP leader Nigel Farage poses for UKIP candidate Victoria Ayre ahead of the Sleaford and North Hackham by-election in Sleaford, England on December 5, 2016. Victoria Ayling canvassed votes.
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Elon Musk says Nigel Farage should resign as leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, after the US billionaire suddenly withdrew his support for the Brexit campaigner who is seeking to once again shake up the UK political establishment.
“The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk said on his social media platform Party with friends who look “cool”.
Musk, a close ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, appeared to support Farage and posed for a photo with him last month.
In last July’s national elections, the Reform Party won 4.1 million votes, accounting for 14% of the total, and won five seats in parliament.
Farage has previously said he was in talks with Musk over the billionaire’s donation to the Reform Party to help it challenge the dominant Labor and Conservative parties.
But Farage distanced himself from Musk’s comments in support of British anti-immigration and anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, who is serving a jail sentence for contempt of court.
Farage responded to Musk’s post on Sunday, saying: “Well, what a surprise! Elon is a great guy, but on this I’m afraid I disagree. My point remains Tommy ·Robinson is not suitable for reform. I have never betrayed my principles.
Last month, Musk backed the Alternative for Germany, an anti-immigration, anti-Islam party that has been labeled right-wing extremist by Germany’s security services, ahead of national elections in February.
Musk has previously sought to influence British politics, criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer on several occasions since anti-immigration riots last summer.
The Tesla founder last week backed calls for a national inquiry into the handling of cases of rape of underage girls by men of Pakistani origin under Starmer’s former government prosecution service.
A 2014 investigation found that at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The Times said Starmer is expected to respond to criticism at a press conference on Monday that he gave the green light to prosecute pedophile rings in 2013 and reformed the way prosecutors handle child abuse cases.
But the newspaper said the billionaire was unlikely to criticize Musk directly given his close ties to Trump.
A spokesman for Starmer’s office declined to comment.
On Sunday, UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended Starmer and fellow cabinet member Jesse Phillips, with Starmer reportedly saying any new investigation into another gang rape should be led by Local authorities handled it, which drew Musk’s ire.
Streeting told the BBC: “While the likes of Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips are working so hard to lock up wife beaters, rapists and pedophiles, It’s easy to sit there and fire something off in a hurry and hit ‘send’.
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