An insider's look at the row heard around the world.
By | Jan 7, 2025 @ Liberty Nation News, Tags: Articles, Opinion, Politics
A public feud between X owner Elon Musk and Britain’s Reform Party leader Nigel Farage over activist Tommy Robinson has created a perfect storm of recrimination and chaos on the UK political scene. With Musk calling for Farage to step aside as frontman of the party he created, patriots on both sides of the Atlantic are torn. But there’s an element at play that this author witnessed firsthand. And it may be the very thing that has played gatekeeper against insurgent parties in British politics. It also serves as a cautionary tale to the incoming Donald Trump administration.
The Spat
Musk on Jan. 5 tweeted: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.” This was in response to Farage refusing to publicly back Robinson’s release from prison and invite him to be an active part of the Reform Party. Farage responded:
“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.”
Robinson is currently serving time in prison for a contempt-of-court charge over the airing of his compelling documentary film regarding a cover-up of a young migrant being beaten by an English boy and the back story that saw head teachers and staff paid off to remain silent about the allegedly culpable behavior of the migrant child. And while a number of Reform voters may agree strongly with the “Free Tommy Robinson” campaign, there are elements to welcoming Robinson into the party that are not being openly discussed.
The disagreement has sparked division – and debate. Just a week ago, British politicians on the political left were fuming wildly over Musk offering his opinion on UK politics and calling for changes in the law to stop him donating to Farage. Notably, their pearl-clutching was aimed at Musk using his right to free speech and to comment on whatever he wishes – supposedly the bedrock of democratic nations. The Tesla CEO is now embroiled in bringing attention to the sordid rape gangs that have plagued Britain for the last decades – largely made up of men of Pakistani origin – an issue that Robinson has been at the forefront of exposing. But what of the Reform leader?
From UKIP to Reform
Farage is the only person to ever lead two parties to national election wins – albeit in the European Parliament. As leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), seeking to exit the UK from the EU, he shocked the political establishment by trouncing all other British parties in the 2014 election. In 2015, he steered the party to almost 4 million votes and more than 12% of the vote share; due to the peculiarities of the UK voting system, however, this resulted in a grand total of one elected Member of Parliament. Farage stepped back from frontline politics. UKIP was still riding high in the Euros, though. And this is where the Tommy Robinson saga begins.
Gerard Batten became the new leader of the UKIP* and embraced the cause celebre that was the contentious Robinson, hiring him to become an adviser. The decision to bring Robinson on board was the culminating factor that led Farage to leave the party he had guided to electoral success in the EU. He said that Batten was “obsessed with the issue of Islam, not just Islamic extremism, but Islam, and UKIP wasn’t founded to be a party fighting a religious crusade.” He believed that Robinson’s long history of criminal trouble would taint the party image just as it was gaining mainstream acceptance.
He was correct.
UKIP dissolved into factions and has slipped into electoral insignificance. “Battenites” went to war with those who believed Robinson was a destructive force to the party’s burgeoning reputation. New leadership votes were marred by infighting within the executive committee, and members left the party in droves.
Ahead of the 2019 European elections, Farage started the Brexit Party (renamed now to the Reform Party), which went on to sweep the floor with all other parties – including UKIP, which lost every single seat it contested.
Batten resigned as leader, and the party never really recovered its mojo under successive leaders Richard Braine and political dynamo Freddy Vaccha, despite valiant efforts – behind the curtain was the ongoing divide of having Robinson play a role in the party.
Why It Matters
The British press is the gatekeeper of the political status quo. Unlike the United States, the United Kingdom has a very limited media, with the state broadcaster, the BBC, being the dominant force. The denizens of this system have few qualms over “tabloid lynching” insurgent parties. Despite this, Farage managed to create a foothold in Parliament during the last UK election, securing five seats – which may not seem like a huge win, but historically it was an earthquake that heralded the downfall of the ruling Conservative Party.
Betting odds have Farage as the favorite to become the next prime minister when the elections are held in 2029 – and while he might not achieve such lofty heights this time around, his party is almost certain to become the king-maker. But fate is fickle and “there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.”
Having Robinson as a lightning rod in UKIP derailed its electoral hopes, regardless of how important his cause and his work as an investigative journalist. To a significant proportion of the British public, he is a pariah, and his association is a political kiss of death.
Musk Offers a Choice
Political death by association is often permanent. Farage has his sights set on 2029, and open support of Robinson could effectively blunt his momentum. This is a tough inflection point for the Reform leader. Speculation was rife that Musk was preparing to bankroll the party with a significant sum, and such largesse would have been game-changing in terms of doing battle with the Conservative and Labour Party.
For those who have long accused Farage of being “about the money,” his decision not to go along with the X boss in order to get a big donation came as a surprise. The unenviable choice was either to remain in Musk’s good graces and potentially have a well-funded war chest or to learn from UKIP’s experience and continue to keep plugging away at the two-party system that dominates British politics. As the most influential British politician since the days of Margaret Thatcher, Farage has yet again decided to forge his own path.
* In 2019, this author was invited to become the communications director of the party (and accepted), a position that involved coordinating with the press and the party leadership.
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