For years, Nigel Farage has thrived on controversy, carefully balancing populist rhetoric while being able to distance himself from extremism claims. Yet, Elon Musk’s recent endorsement of far-right activist Tommy Robinson has exposed potential cracks in his Reform machine.
In a new wave of controversy, Elon Musk has demanded the UK government release Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, from prison. The far-right activist has been serving an 18-month sentence since last October after he pleaded guilty to contempt of court for repeatedly defaming a Syrian refugee.
Nigel Farage, however, is no stranger to condemning the far-right activist. In 2018, Farage resigned from UKIP, arguing his former party had an “obsession” with Robinson and a “fixation with the issue of Islam”.
Nevertheless, others in Reform UK have disapproved of the party leadership’s anti-Robinson stance in the past. These include former co-deputy leader Ben Habib and 2024 London mayor candidate Howard Cox, who has argued on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken podcast that the far-right activist should not be in prison.
Now, Nigel Farage has conspicuously fallen silent when pressed on whether he would still accept Elon Musk’s money after his affiliation with Robinson, despite Reform UK’s relentless attempts to dominate media headlines over recent months. This calculated silence leaves serious and troubling questions about the party’s principles and priorities.
Nigel Farage and Reform’s treasurer Nick Candy met with Elon Musk in December at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago mansion in Florida after reports he could donate up to $100 million to the party.
“We only have one more chance left to save the West and we can do great things together,” the pair said after the meeting.
Farage has previously boasted he has “done more to drive the far-right out of British politics than anyone alive”.
“I took on the BNP just over a decade ago. I said to their voters, ‘If this is a protest vote and you don’t support their racist agenda don’t vote for them, vote for me’. And we destroyed them.
“I’ve never allowed people, in parties that I have led, anyone who was even a member of an extremist organisation to join our parties,” he claimed during the general election campaign.
However, this hasn’t stopped people from likening the Reform leader to the far-right activist in the past.
Last month, former Tory chairman Lord Patten said that Farage “isn’t far off” being Tommy Robinson on topics such as immigration.
If Elon Musk refuses to distance himself from Tommy Robinson publicly, Farage will face a difficult and uncomfortable decision. He will have to grapple with whether it is justifiable to accept the financial backing he now anticipates from the far-right affiliate, especially when that donation could significantly alter the future of Reform UK.
Aligning with Musk’s new unwavering support for figures like Robinson risks not only tarnishing Farage’s own credibility but also undermining the party’s standing in the eyes of the public.
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