Nigel Farage has shed light on the motivations behind Elon Musk calling him to be replaced as Reform UK leader, revealing that it was designed to "encourage" him to adopt certain policy positions.
Polling and general commentary surrounding the unexpected tweet in January found that the X owner did indeed "encourage" Farage - but not necessarily in the way he intended.
The tweet in question was posted on January 5. It was at the height of the renewed interest in the grooming gangs scandal.
The eccentric entrepreneur appeared to have been triggered by Farage distancing Reform UK from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, a jailed far-right activist who has been vocal about the scandal for decades.
“The Reform party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
On Sunday, Farage had revealed he had met Musk and discussed the tweet amid the fallout.
Elon Musk inadvertently strengthened the Reform leader's hand with leadership tweet, polling suggests
PA
He told LBC: “We talked about it,” he said, adding: “He was just trying to encourage me in a few policy areas, ones I wasn’t prepared to go down.”
Polling and political commentary following the X owner's shock intervention suggest he did successfully "encourage" Nigel Farage - by inadvertently strengthening the Reform leaders hand.
Farage's decision to distance his party from Tommy Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - played well with his base and the wider electorate.
The results of a YouGov / The Times survey in January showed that Musk’s actions damaged his already poor reputation in the UK.
Seven in ten Britons (71 per cent) said they have an unfavourable view of Musk – up seven points since from YouGov's previous poll in November. This includes a 14pt increase in the number with a “very” unfavourable view of the X CEO, to 55 per cent.
Only 20 per cent of the public said they have a favourable view of Musk.
The only group of the public who had a favourable view of Musk at the time were Reform UK voters, with 51 per cent holding a positive opinion.
While this was largely unchanged from the 54 per cent in November, there had been a significant increase in the number of Reform UK voters with a negative opinion of Musk since then, having risen from 24 per cent to 41 per cent.
In a clear win for Farage, polling last month shows his popularity among Reform voters has recovered after a dip caused by the Rupert Lowe controversy. Meanwhile, Musk's appeal among Nigel Farage's base has plummeted.
The YouGov poll found Nigel's support among Reform voters had risen again to 80 per cent, while most Reform UK voters (58 per cent) now have an unfavourable view of Elon Musk - an 18-point drop since January.
Only 36 per cent still have a favourable view of the eccentric billionaire - an 11-point reduction.
This souring also reflects broader public sentiment, with fully 80 per cent of Britons now holding an unfavourable opinion of the Tesla CEO. This is a nine-point increase from YouGov's January survey.
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Musk's appeal among Nigel Farage's base has plummeted since January
ReutersHow Musk's intervention boosted Farage's appeal
There are many working theories as to how Musk's attempt to influence Reform UK's leadership may have backfired, such as reinforcing Farage's leadership position and highlighting resistance to external interference in the party's affairs.
An analysis piece published last month in The Guardian noted that Farage has taken on an "unusual role of a moderate voice" by standing up to the X owner, a move that could play well at the ballot box.
Indeed, elections guru John Curtice previously told GB News that Reform will never make it into Downing Street if the party does not broaden its appeal, so becoming a moderate voice is a major coup.
This approach is already bearing fruit. A recent mega-poll suggests that Reform would emerge as the leading party if a general election was held now, potentially positioning Farage as the next Prime Minister.
