 "Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is not fit to rule a 'growing party'. AP")
Ten Reform UK councillors from Derbyshire resigned Friday, calling for Nigel Farage to step down as leader of the right-wing party.
The councillors accused Farage of an “autocratic manner” and criticised the party’s management as “either incompetent or malevolent.”
Rift in Reform UK
The councillors’ resignation comes days after tech mogul Elon Musk publicly demanded Farage leave his leadership post, claiming he “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the party, POLITICO reported,
Musk’s remarks marked a sharp break in their relationship; the two had been photographed together last month at former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Tensions within Reform UK have intensified over Farage’s distancing from Tommy Robinson, the jailed founder of the far-right English Defense League.
Musk, a vocal supporter of Robinson, has recently reposted messages calling for his release. The divide over Robinson has left party members sharply split.
Howard Cox, the party’s 2024 London mayoral candidate, resigned earlier this week after disagreements over his support for Robinson’s cause. The councillors who resigned Friday called for Ben Habib, a former joint deputy leader of Reform, to take over leadership. Habib has described Robinson as a “political prisoner.”
In media appearances Friday (January 9), Farage dismissed the resigning councillors as members of a “rogue branch” and insisted they had not been properly vetted.
He reaffirmed his commitment to leading the party and stated he remains “in touch” with Musk, claiming they are “still friends.”
Elon Musk’s support for right-wing
After becoming a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, Musk has also used his social media platform X to back far-right parties in Europe.
He has endorsed Germany’s AfD party– well-known for its extreme anti-immigration and anti-Islam views– ahead of the snap polls in the country.
In the UK, he has reportedly sought to destabilise Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, seeking to boost alternatives like Reform UK.