Following Elon Musk’s call for Nigel Farage to step down as Reform leader, do you think it’s time the right-wingers had a new face in charge?
Do you think Nigel Farage should step down as leader of Reform UK?
Elon Musk wants him to go, saying the Brexit firebrand ‘doesn’t have what it takes’ to lead the party anymore and that a new face should take the helm.
This must have been galling for Farage, who only hours before had been fawning over the tech billionaire, calling him a ‘hero’ and saying his support made the party ‘look cool’. But he later added that Musk’s support “doesn’t mean I have to agree with every single statement he makes on X”.
Musk later suggested Reform MP Rupert Lowe as the person best equipped to take the reins, saying: “I have not met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I have read so far make a lot of sense.”
The one-sided fall-out follows weeks of cosying up together, with Farage suggesting the SpaceX founder might throw millions into the Reform UK coffers. But things are no longer this rosy. When asked about Musk’s recent controversial comments, such as his attacks on Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips, Farage refused to condemn him, even though those remarks were widely labelled a ‘disgraceful smear’.
Musk sparked outrage by claiming Home Office Minister Jess Phillips should be jailed and the PM should be ousted after the Government rejected a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
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In a BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage explained: “He [Musk] may well give us money. Whether he does or not, I think what he gives us with huge numbers of young people, he makes us look cool.”
But recently, Musk’s far-right sympathies have raised a few eyebrows, particularly after his support for Germany’s AfD party and his stance on Tommy Robinson, which led to a bit of a public disagreement. Farage, sticking to his principles, said: “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.”
Farage has stated he intended to ‘have a conversation with (Musk) on a variety of things’ – including Tommy Robinson – at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The Reform leader has kept a strong connection with Trump – who has given Musk a position in his administration. The big question now is whether Farage’s relationship with the president-elect will be impacted.
So should Farage step down, or does he still have what it takes to lead Reform UK? What do you think?
Do you think Nigel Farage should step down as leader of Reform UK? Take our poll above and expand on your feelings in the comments below