"Still Friends": Nigel Farage on his comparison with Elon Musk after criticism

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Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's anti-immigration Reform UK party, said he is still "friends" with Elon Musk. Mr Farage's comment came days after the Tesla boss criticised him and said that he "doesn't have what it takes" to lead his party.


Mr Farage, speaking to Sky News, said, "Of course we're friends. He (Elon Musk) just says what he thinks at any moment in time."


Mr Farage shared that he has "been in touch" with Elon Musk, however, he refused to talk about what they 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," Farage added.


On January 5, Mr Musk appeared to take a U-turn on his support for Nigel Farage. "The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn't have what it takes," Musk wrote on his X platform, in his latest critical comment about UK politics.


Earlier, Mr Farage had said that he was in talks with the US tech billionaire regarding a potential big donation for his party, which helped the Labour Party return to power in the UK general election by splitting the right-wing vote, AFP reported.


However, Mr Musk, on January 2, extended support to jailed British extremist agitator Tommy Robinson, thereby sparking a major disagreement with Nigel Farage.


"Why is Tommy Robinson in a solitary confinement prison for telling the truth? He should be freed and those who covered up this travesty should take his place in that cell," Elon Musk wrote.


Why is Tommy Robinson in a solitary confinement prison for telling the truth?

He should be freed and those who covered up this travesty should take his place in that cell. https://t.co/Dn48JLoJgR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025


Tommy Robinson was jailed in October 2024 after he admitted to committing contempt of court in a long-running libel case in connection with a Syrian refugee. 

In his post, Elon Musk alleged that Tommy Robinson was "telling the truth" in the major grooming scandal which remained in the spotlight in Britain in recent years. The scandal came to public attention more than a decade ago in Rotherham, the rundown Yorkshire city, where authorities were notified about systematic grooming and sex abuse of young white girls around 2001, according to the American publication The Free Press. 

Replying to Elon Musk's post, Nigel Farage wrote, "Well, this is a surprise! 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."


Well, this is a surprise! 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://t.co/V7iccN6usS
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 5, 2025

Nigel Farage, then in an interaction with Sky News, said that Mr Musk saw Tommy Robinson "as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs".

"But of course, the truth is Tommy Robinson's in prison not for that, but for contempt of court," Farage added.