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Reform Britain leader Nigel Farage says US billionaire Elon Musk’s $100 million ($78 million) donation to his party is “pure speculation.”
Farage told the BBC that the idea was “complete news to me” and that “I’ve never heard of anything like that”.
Rumors spread. From the Sunday Timeswhich reported that Conservative Party officials were concerned the reform would use the money to wipe out their party at the next election.
Mr. Musk’s father, Errol In an interview with GB Newssuggested that her son, whose grandmother was British, could take UK citizenship to get around foreign donation rules.
Mr Musk is a prominent critic of Labor Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and has backed Reform UK to form the next government in posts on his social media platform X.
As a US citizen, Mr Musk cannot make personal political donations in the UK.
But the Sunday Times suggested that donations could be made through the British branch of X.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Farage said: “Even a fraction of that money would make a huge difference to our operation as a party. [but] It is purely theoretical”.
He added that although he knows Mr Musk and “politically he is a supporter of mine, it’s no secret, I’ve never asked him for a donation or been offered one”.
It also raised doubts that a donation of this size would be possible if funneled through the UK arm of Mr Musk’s X social media site, formerly known as Twitter.
“As far as the company is concerned, the Election Commission will take care that the donation coming from the company should be proportional to the size of the company in that country,” he said.
“The idea that XCorp can give $100 million to any political party is for the birds.”
Pressed on whether he would accept donations, Farage said “of course I would accept the money” but pointed out that James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party spent £25 million on the 1997 election and “3% Got the votes.”
He added: “Money is not everything.”
Mr. Musk, who was born in South Africa, donated $75 million to US President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election bid, $72 million of which will go to a political action committee he founded in America. was established in the name of AC.
Mr Musk’s father, Errol, suggested the SpaceX and Tesla mogul might even be willing to become a British citizen to donate $100m to Reform UK.
He told GB News: “I’m eligible for British citizenship, I think he is too.”
He added: “If the thing that is stopping Farage from getting ahead is money, then he should get money so he can get ahead.”
Asked what his family’s stance was on Sir Kerr, Errol Musk said: “What happened in England is very un-English.”
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