Elon Musk has reignited his feud with Nigel Farage, branding the Reform UK leader “weak sauce who will do nothing” just hours after Mr Farage unveiled plans to deport 600,000 asylum seekers if his party wins power.
The billionaire Tesla owner’s scathing attack on Tuesday evening marked the latest deterioration in a relationship that has swung from close alliance to public animosity, with the X owner now backing rival party Advance UK and its leader Ben Habib.
“Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing,” Musk posted on X, throwing his support behind the party formed by Mr Farage’s former deputy leader who quit Reform UK in December following internal disagreements.
The criticism came as Mr Farage announced “Operation Restoring Justice,” a controversial five-year programme that would see children among hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers detained and deported under a Reform UK government.
Speaking at a press conference at Oxford Airport on Tuesday, Mr Farage pledged to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent “activist judges” blocking deportations. “If you come to the UK illegally, you will be detained and deported and never, ever allowed to stay, period,” he declared.
But Musk dismissed the proposals as inadequate, writing in an earlier post: “Unfortunately, the reality is that Farage will do almost nothing to protect Britain. That is obvious.” He argued existing laws already provided sufficient powers, adding: “Existing law is clear that anyone who was an accessory to aggravated rape or murder, especially of children, is guilty of serious crime and must either serve time in prison if a citizen or be deported if not.
The tech mogul has also thrown his support behind independent MP Rupert Lowe, who had the Reform UK whip suspended in March over allegations of bullying and verbal threats towards party chairman Zia Yusuf. Mr Lowe denies the allegations, and the Crown Prosecution Service announced in May he would not face charges due to insufficient evidence.
The deterioration in relations marks a dramatic shift from when Musk was reportedly considering donating $100 million (£79 million) to Reform UK. “He wants to help us, he’s not opposed to the idea of giving us money, provided we can do it legally through UK companies,” Mr Farage had said at the time, whilst dismissing the specific figure.
The relationship soured in January when Musk publicly called for Mr Farage to be replaced as Reform leader over his refusal to work with far-right activist Tommy Robinson. “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk wrote at the time.
Mr Farage responded with surprise, saying: “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.”
Ben Habib, who founded Advance UK in June after leaving Reform UK over disagreements with Mr Farage, has positioned his party as advocating for Britain’s “Christian constitution,” freedom of speech and adherence to UK law. The party sits at the same end of the political spectrum as Reform UK but has struggled to gain traction.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice defended his party on BBC’s Newsnight, saying: “We’re leading in all the national polls. You can be friendly with someone and not agree with them on everything. We’ve had our agreements with Elon Musk, who’s a brilliant entrepreneur.
Despite Musk’s criticism, Mr Farage has expressed a desire to repair their relationship, acknowledging the impact on younger voters. “Not having Elon’s support would damage us with that younger generation because he kind of makes us look cool, so I’m being frank about that, and I am confident that whatever has been said, we can mend,” he told reporters.
Mr Farage later claimed Musk was only “trying to encourage” him when calling for his replacement. We talked about it,” he told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. “He was just trying to encourage me in a few policy areas, ones I wasn’t prepared to go down.”
Downing Street dismissed Reform’s deportation plans as “old gimmicks,” whilst emphasising Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s understanding of public concerns about small boat crossings. Mr Farage failed to specify how much he would offer regimes including Iran and the Taliban to accept deportees.
The public spat highlights growing tensions within Britain’s right-wing political movements as they compete for influence ahead of potential electoral gains. Reform UK has been leading in some national polls for nearly 100 consecutive days, whilst facing internal divisions and defections.
Reform UK was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
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