"I think we all had a smile on Sunday when the honourable member said how 'cool' it was to have the support of Musk, only for Musk to say he should be removed just a few hours later"
Nigel Farage was left humiliated at PMQs after Labour Party leader Keir Starmer mocked the Reform UK leader following his dumping by Elon Musk.
Farage had previously boasted about his close relationship with Musk, and there were reports that the tech billionaire was considering making a large donation to Reform ahead of the next general election.
However, Musk has turned on Farage in recent days, saying that he didn’t think the Reform UK leader has what it takes to lead the party.
The pair have had a disagreement over the far-right former leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson. Musk has called for Robinson’s release in a number of posts in recent days, while Farage has condemned Robinson, telling GB News that Mr Musk “sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs”.
“But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court,” he said.
Starmer used the opportunity at PMQs to mock Farage, following a question from Lib Dem Party leader Sir Ed Davey about foreign donations to UK political parties.
He asked Starmer: “While the honourable member for Clacton may miss out on his big allowance from Elon Musk, the spectre of the richest man in the world trying to buy a British political party, should give us all cause for thought.
“And after years of the Conservatives taking millions of pounds of Russian money, will the Prime Minister now work with us to bring in long overdue reforms of party funding so that power in this country lies with the voters and not wealthy overseas oligarchs?”
Starmer responded: “I think we all had a smile on Sunday when the honourable member said how ‘cool’ it was to have the support of Musk, only for Musk to say he should be removed just a few hours later – that’s the rough and tough of politics and of course, we’re looking at the question of funding more generally.”
It comes after Farage had branded Musk a “hero” in interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, only for Musk to call for Farage’s replacement as Reform Party leader hours later.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.