Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s feud with British politicians escalated Monday as U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer attacked Musk’s “lies and misinformation,” as the billionaire has waded into U.K. politics by championing far-right activist Tommy Robinson and amplified a divisive child rapist scandal—and cut ties with right-wing British politician Nigel Farage in the process.
Far right activist Tommy Robinson speaks at a demonstration on April 23, 2024 in London, England.
Musk has repeatedly posted in support of Robinson, who is serving an 18-month prison sentence, pinning a post saying “Free Tommy Robinson!” to the top of his page on X and posting or reposting content about Robinson and the U.K. government more than a dozen times on Wednesday alone.
Robinson—whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lemmon—founded the anti-Islam English Defence League and has become a major far-right figure in the U.K., attracting thousands of supporters to rallies and garnering widespread criticism for his divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October after being found guilty of contempt, as Robinson repeatedly violated a court order finding him liable for making libelous claims about a Syrian refugee, which he has continued to repeat despite that ruling.
Musk reinstated Robinson’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the far-right activist was previously banned from the platform, and has tweeted in support of Robinson in the past, but has ramped up his support in recent days.
The posts supporting Robinson come as Musk has increasingly inserted himself into British politics: he met with Farage, the leader of the U.K.’s far-right Reform UK Party, in December, and Farage claimed Musk is giving “serious thought” to helping bankroll the British party.
But Musk’s championing of Robinson, whom Farage does not support, has seemingly blown up that alliance, as Musk tweeted Sunday that Reform UK “needs a new leader” because “Farage doesn’t have what it takes”—to which Farage responded that he maintains “Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”
Starmer condemned “those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible” Monday when he was asked about Musk’s comments during a public appearance, after the Tesla CEO wrote on X that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.” The prime minister also denounced Musk’s attacks on Labour Party politician Jess Phillips—saying, “When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed”—and opposed Musk and others championing Robinson. People “cheerleading Tommy Robinson … are trying to get some vicarious thrill from street violence that people like Tommy Robinson promote,” Starmer said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Robinson was sentenced to prison over a controversy in 2018, as the far-right figure made false claims about refugee Jamal Hijazi after a video went viral showing the Syrian teenager being attacked by other students at school. Robinson responded to the video and falsely claimed Hijazi “was not innocent” and was a bully who had committed violence against other students, making the claims in a Facebook video that the BBC reports garnered nearly a million views by the time of Robinson’s trial. A British court found Robinson liable for libel in 2021, ordering him to pay £100,000 in damages (approximately $120,000) plus legal costs to Hijazi. Robinson has repeatedly continued to make the false claims about the Syrian refugee, however, including in a video that he played at a rally and has posted online. “All [Robinson’s]
Musk has repeatedly made statements in support of Robinson, saying he should be freed from prison and that Robinson’s documentary—in which he repeated false claims about Hijazi—is “worth watching.” The billionaire’s focus on Robinson and against the U.K. government has also centered on the U.K. government’s decision to not investigate alleged instances of child sexual abuse, as right-wing U.K. figures have criticized the left-wing Labour Party, which controls the government, for leaving the investigations up to local authorities. A 2014 report found more than 1,300 girls had been sexually assaulted between 1997 and 2013, primarily by men of Pakistani descent, and Musk and others on the right have argued the government has not done enough to tackle the issue. The Labour Party has argued it is working on the issue and implementing recommendations that were made as part of a 2022 inquiry into child sexual abuse. Musk has falsely claimed Robinson was imprisoned for speaking out against the sexual abuse, even though he was actually jailed for contempt. Musk has also repeatedly criticized the Labour Party and Starmer more broadly, claiming in August the country was on the brink of “civil war” due to the left-wing government’s leadership and saying Wednesday night the country should hold a new election. Labour Party politicians have denounced Musk’s comments and U.K. political experts have slammed the billionaire’s claims of impending civil war, with Queen Mary University of London professor Tim Bale telling NBC News in August, “No one who has even a passing familiarity with the country would embarrass themselves by making such an absurd prediction.”
Robinson’s activism in the U.K. has made him popular among the far-right in the U.S., which could further explain why Musk is so publicly aligning himself with the British figure. Proud Boys leader Enrico Tarrio has praised Robinson as an inspiration, according to The New York Times, which notes Donald Trump Jr. has also hailed Robinson, and Trump ally Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., flew to London to speak at one of the British activist’s rallies. Robinson has praised Trump and told the ex-president’s supporters after the Jan. 6 riot to “pick [themselves] back up” and continue to fight, and the Times reported in 2021 that he spoke with Tarrio and the Proud Boys after the 2020 election to encourage them to help keep Trump in power.
Right-leaning British politicians believe Musk’s endorsement of Robinson is a “step too far,” Bloomberg reported Friday, citing anonymous sources who said prominent British politicians allied with Trump spent Thursday urging their U.S. counterparts not to follow Musk by backing Robinson. Senior politicians throughout all parties of the British government have also told Trump to break ties with Musk due to his attacks on U.K. politicians and support of Robinson, Bloomberg then reported Monday, though Trump has not signaled any willingness to do so.
Musk’s denouncement of Farage comes as the Reform leader has long sought to distance himself from Robinson, The Guardian notes. “As for the Tommy Robinsons and those that genuinely do stir up hatred, well I’ve never had anything to do with them,” Farage said in a video posted to X in August, which responded to riots that broke out throughout the country that were fueled by far-right anti-immigration activists. Bloomberg reported Friday that right-wing British politicians believe Robinson being linked to Farage could hurt his chances of gaining more power within the U.K. government, given Robinson’s divisiveness, and considered Musk’s endorsement of Robinson “beyond the pale.”
How the British government will respond to Musk’s increasing activism in U.K. politics. Some Labour Party politicians have called for the country’s government to leave X over Musk’s comments in support of Robinson, The Guardian reports, though others fear doing so would inflame tensions with the incoming Trump administration. Farage’s suggestion that Musk could start giving millions to the Reform UK Party has also sparked calls from the left for the government to institute new anti-corruption measures that would limit how much foreign nationals like Musk can give politicians and political parties through their companies. While Musk is not a U.K. national, he could legally make political donations in the U.K. through the British branch of his companies, which the proposed regulations would restrict.
Musk has become increasingly involved in politics in recent months, as he became one of Trump’s most high profile supporters in the wake of the July assassination attempt against the ex-president. The billionaire went on to pour millions into a super PAC dedicated to helping Trump and was rewarded with Trump tapping him to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” with fellow Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk, who previously gave little money publicly to political causes, has now started weighing in on other countries’ politics as well. In addition to his foray into U.K. politics, the Tesla CEO has recently commented on politics in countries including Italy, Canada and Argentina, and championed Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, commonly referred to as AfD. Musk claimed on X the party is the only one that can “save Germany” and backed the party in an op-ed published in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Robinson’s popularity in the U.K. and Musk’s championing of AfD comes as far-right populism made significant gains throughout Europe in 2024, with far-right parties notching major wins in countries including Austria, the Netherlands and France in addition to the U.K. and Germany.
Foreign Leaders—And The EU—Step Up Challenges To Musk As His Feuds With Global Politicians Heat Up (Forbes)
Elon Musk Supports Germany’s Far-Right AfD Party In Opinion Piece (Forbes)
‘He’s like a gangster’: How Tommy Robinson became leader of Britain’s far right (The Guardian)
U.K. Far Right, Lifted by Trump, Now Turns to Russia (The New York Times)
Who Is Tommy Robinson, the Activist Behind a Far-Right London Rally? (The New York Times)