Tech billionaire Elon Musk met with British political disruptor Nigel Farage on Monday amid rumors that Musk might donate cash to Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform U.Ok. celebration.
The rendezvous occurred on the Mar-a-Lago property of President-elect Donald Trump, whom Musk spent over 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 {dollars} to assist elect this yr. Reform U.Ok. has emerged as a risk not too long ago to the Labour authorities and the main opposition celebration, the Conservatives.
Farage left the assembly seemingly optimistic that Musk would chip in for the trigger. He instructed BBC on Tuesday that Reform is in “open negotiations” with Musk and admitted that the 2 “did talk about money” whereas in Florida.
“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,” Farage instructed the outlet.
As an American citizen, Musk can’t make private political donations within the U.Ok., however personal firms that function within the nation can. Which means donations might probably be made by way of the British branches of X (previously Twitter) or Tesla.
Musk has to this point denied that he’ll bankroll Reform U.Ok., saying solely that he helps it to kind the subsequent authorities. But when he actually plans on stiffing Farage, you definitely couldn’t inform from his social media presence.
On Tuesday afternoon, Farage uploaded {a photograph} of him and Nick Sweet, the Reform U.Ok. treasurer, assembly Musk.
“Britain needs Reform,” Farage’s submit learn. To which Musk replied, “Absolutely.”
U.Ok. media has speculated for weeks now that Reform U.Ok. was in discussions with Musk for a large monetary donation, much like the sum of money the billionaire gave to Trump in 2024. But it surely looks as if these plans haven’t but crystallized. Farage stated that he didn’t ask for a donation throughout their assembly this week, and that none had been provided to him.
Nonetheless, it’s straightforward to see why guys like Farage and Musk get alongside. Musk will quickly lead a deliberate advisory fee known as the Division of Authorities Effectivity, working in tandem with Trump as soon as he’s inaugurated in January, whereas Farage himself is a longtime supporter of Trump.
And much like Trump, Farage, who drove the Brexit trigger, leads a celebration that includes candidates who’ve made many inflammatory remarks. One Reform U.Ok. candidate, as an example, stated that Britain ought to’ve remained impartial within the struggle towards the Nazis throughout World Conflict II. One other candidate equally got here beneath hearth for utilizing antisemitic tropes.
Past that, Musk, Farage, and Trump all have an axe to grind with the brand new U.Ok. authorities and its management. Musk and Trump are each outstanding critics of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Get together. And Musk as soon as stated on social media that Reform might win the subsequent British election, in line with the Unbiased.
Within the U.Ok.’s July common election, Farage’s celebration gained 5 seats in Parliament and captured 14% of the nationwide vote, suggesting that Reform might pose a significant risk to the nation’s two main political events. In latest weeks, too, Reform’s ballot scores have ticked up as Starmer’s authorities has confronted a tough begin.
After this week’s gathering, Farage and Sweet gushed in a assertion that they’d a “great meeting” with Musk, saying, “We learned a great deal about the Trump ground game and will have ongoing discussions on other areas.”
Along with thanking Trump for letting them meet at his Florida property, the pair added: “We only have one more chance left to save the West and we can do great things together.”
