Elon Musk took to social media to express his dissatisfaction with the current leadership of the Reform Party, targeting Nigel Farage on Sunday.
What Happened: Musk posted on X, "The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn't have what it takes." Farage in turn said that Musk's loss of confidence came as a surprise to him.
"I am afraid I disagree," said the U.K. leader known for his association with President-elect Donald Trump and his fierce campaign to take the country out of the European Union.
Farage had taken distance from comments made by Musk in support of anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon also known as Tommy Robinson, who is currently in prison for contempt of court, according to a report from Reuters.
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.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 5, 2025
Farage said, "My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles."
Farage previously shared a photo of himself with Musk, with a portrait of a young Trump visible in the background. The post prompted a response from Musk, who appeared to align with the idea that Britain needed the Reform Party.
Absolutely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2024
Notably, Farage had said during the U.S. presidential campaign that he received a job offer from Trump for his U.S. re-election campaign.
Why It Matters: Previously, Musk criticized the U.K. government for releasing convicted pedophiles and reportedly banning him from the International Investment Summit due to his social media activity during recent riots. He stated, "I don't think anyone should go to the UK when they're releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts."
More recently, Musk criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and supported a national inquiry into cases of underage exploited girls, which Starmer's prosecution service once handled. Starmer, expected to address the issue, highlighted his 2013 reforms for prosecuting pedophile gangs but avoided criticizing Musk, given his ties to Trump, according to a Reuters report.
Musk has dismissed the idea of establishing a Tesla Gigafactory in the U.K., citing the current Labour government as a deterrent for potential investors. "Very few companies will be willing to invest in the UK with the current administration," he wrote.
週日,埃隆·馬斯克在社交媒體上表達了對改革黨現任領導層的不滿,目標是奈傑爾·法拉奇。
發生了什麼:馬斯克在X上發帖說:「改革黨需要新的領導人。Farage 沒有它所需要的東西。」法拉奇反過來表示,馬斯克失去信心令他感到驚訝。
「恐怕我不同意,」 這位以與當選總統唐納德·特朗普的關係以及他激烈爭取英國脫離歐盟而聞名的英國領導人說。
據路透社報道,法拉奇與馬斯克支持反移民活動家斯蒂芬·雅克斯利-列儂(又名湯米·羅賓遜)的言論保持距離,湯米·羅賓遜目前因藐視法庭而入獄。
好吧,這真是一個驚喜!埃隆是個了不起的人,但恐怕我不同意。
我的觀點仍然是,湯米·羅賓遜不適合改革,我從不推銷自己的原則。
— 奈傑爾·法拉奇議員 (@Nigel_Farage) 2025 年 1 月 5 日
法拉奇說:「我仍然認爲湯米·羅賓遜不適合改革,我從不推銷自己的原則。」
法拉奇此前曾與馬斯克分享過一張自己的照片,背景中可以看到一位年輕的特朗普的肖像。該帖子引起了馬斯克的回應,他似乎與英國需要改革黨的觀點一致。
絕對可以
— 埃隆·馬斯克 (@elonmusk) 2024 年 12 月 17 日
值得注意的是,法拉奇在美國總統競選期間曾表示,他在美國競選連任時收到了特朗普的就業機會。
爲何重要:此前,馬斯克批評英國政府釋放被定罪的戀童癖者,並據報道禁止他參加國際投資峯會,原因是他在最近的騷亂中從事社交媒體活動。他說:「我認爲任何人在釋放被定罪的戀童癖者時都不應該去英國,以監禁因在社交媒體上發佈帖子的人。」
最近,馬斯克批評了英國首相基爾·斯塔默,並支持對未成年剝削女孩的案件進行全國性調查,斯塔默的檢察部門曾經處理過該案件。據路透社報道,預計將解決這個問題的斯塔默強調了他在2013年起訴戀童癖團伙的改革,但鑑於馬斯克與特朗普的關係,他避免批評馬斯克。
馬斯克駁回了在英國建立特斯拉超級工廠的想法,理由是現任工黨政府對潛在投資者起到了威懾作用。他寫道:「在本屆政府的領導下,很少有公司願意在英國投資。」