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Nigel Farage has said he hopes to “mend” his relationship with Elon Musk when he travels to the US for Donald Trump’s inauguration, after the two men had a bitter falling out this week.
He also attempted to step up the pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over grooming gangs, claiming his Reform party would be prepared to set up an unofficial “inquiry” within weeks if the government did not.
At the weekend the billionaire X owner called for Mr Farage to be replaced as Reform leader in a very public spat over jailed far-right political activist Tommy Robinson.
The row came just days after Mr Farage called the world’s richest man, and close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump, “a hero” and said he was making Reform “look cool”.
Hours after Mr Farage praised Mr Musk on live television, the tycoon declared: “The Reform party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
He then went on to appear to endorse Rupert Lowe, one of the party’s five MPs, as a replacement.
Hitting back, Mr Farage said he would never “sell out”, amid rumours Mr Musk was considering giving Reform $100m (£80m).
He 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.”
During a phone-in on LBC on Tuesday, Mr Farage said that although Mr Musk’s support was not “crucial”, Reform would be weaker without it.
He said: “Not having Elon’s support would damage us with that younger generation because he kind of makes us look cool, so I’m being frank about that, and I am confident that whatever has been said, we can mend. I really think we can.”
He insisted, however, it would have been more damaging for him to have backed calls to “embrace” Robinson.
He said he would travel to America for “four or five days” later this month to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration and hoped to meet Mr Musk and repair their relationship.
“Of course I want his support; of course I will talk to him in America in a few days’ time; of course I want to mend any broken fences that might exist. I’m sure we can do it,” he said.
He also said his party would be prepared to set up an unofficial “inquiry” into grooming gangs if the government did not act within “a few weeks”.
He told LBC radio: “I honestly believe that through the police, through social services, through the last days of the Labour government, through the entirety of the last Conservative government, there has been a concerted attempt to play this down for fear of what it might do, for fear of being called racist.
“The irony is that the attacks themselves were racist. This was anti-white female racism. Of that, I have no doubt.”
His party would not be able to hold an official inquiry nor compel witnesses to attend.
However, Mr Farage suggested there would be a public outcry against those who did not cooperate.
“I will have no difficulty in raising the money to do this, whatsoever. We’ll appoint independent ex-judges and experts,” he said.
“I won’t have the statutory powers but I tell you what, I think this would garner such massive public support that anybody asked to appear that didn’t appear would look terrible.”
He also declined to criticise Mr Musk over his description of safeguarding minister Jess Phillips as a “rape genocide apologist” after she turned down a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town.
Ms Phillips had said the government’s preference was for a local-led inquiry, in line with the previous government’s decision on a similar request from Telford Council.
On Monday, Sir Keir hit out at Mr Musk’s tweet, saying a “line has been crossed” and Ms Phillips and others had received threats as a result of the “poison of the far right”.
Mr Farage said that, while he did not “concur” with the description of Ms Phillips, it did not go “beyond the line” of what was acceptable.
He said: “If he was inciting violence, then that would be going beyond the line at which free speech is acceptable.
“It’s very, very strong language and it offends many, but then free speech should be able to offend many.”
He also reiterated that he would not take legal action against Kemi Badenoch over her claim Reform UK had faked its membership numbers.
And he said has bought a house in Clacton, after criticism over how much time he was spending in his constituency. “That’s why you can see me out, often on a Saturday morning, out buying the essentials – limes, tonic, all that sort of thing,” he added.
He also said he was planning a “massive event” for small businesses in Clacton later this month and was “out meeting constituents I bet far more than any MP has done for many, many years in Clacton”.
