Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson.”
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to the party.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Grassroots row as Reform councillors quit
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Just as he was due to address members in a speech, it emerged that ten Reform councillors had quit in protest over Mr Farage’s leadership.
The statement from the Amber Valley group in Derbyshire said Reform is operating “in an increasingly autocratic manner” and that it had lost its sense of direction, with a focus on recruiting former Tory councillors rather than the grassroots.
“This shift away from the party’s founding principles and values has caused deep concern,” the statement said.
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However, Zia Yusuf, the chairman of Reform UK, said on X that the rebel group’s leader Alex Stevenson had been suspended for nominating candidates that failed vetting in December.
He said many of those who had resigned alongside Mr Stevenson were effectively “illegitimate” and new elections must be held.
Mr Stevenson confirmed to Sky News he had been suspended and said it was due to an internal fight within the party.
The row may cause trouble for Mr Farage as he eyes gains in the local elections in May.
Devolution plans a ‘denial of democracy’
In his interview with Sky News earlier, Mr Farage hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some May elections postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage claimed the plans are not about devolution but “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt” because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
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Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
