Last week’s get-together between Elon Musk, Nigel Farage and Reform UK treasurer Nick Candy was more than just a gathering of Donald Trump fans. It was a meeting of hearts.
Immigration, culture wars, and public sector cuts all figure prominently in their political agenda, developed under the umbrella of President Trump’s MAGA Vision.
Mr Farage said afterwards: “We only have one chance to save the West. Together we can achieve great things.”
It also reignited speculation that Mr Musk could donate up to $100m (£80m) to the reforms, even if voters might actually object.
A survey by Survation campaign group 38 Degrees found 55% support for a ban on wealthy foreigners donating large sums of money to British political parties.
When asked specifically about Mr Musk, two-thirds (66%) said he should not have any influence on British politics. Even among pro-reform voters, 51% did not want Mr. Musk to gain influence.
Money aside, the ideological similarities between Mr. Musk and Mr. Reform are clear in some areas.
immigration
Mr. Musk has been a vocal critic of U.S. immigration policy, making him a natural ideological ally of reformers. Earlier this year, he referred to the U.S.-Mexico border, saying “massive unvetted migration is a recipe for disaster” and calling for a “secure southern border.” But he also called for a “significant boost in legal immigration,” reflecting the U.S. tech industry’s concerns about labor demand.
Immigration is a central concern for Farage and reform. The most important promise in the manifesto-style “deal” with voters during this year’s UK general election was to freeze all “non-essential” immigration.
The second pledge was to detain and deport “illegal immigrants,” including sending arrivals “back to France” in small boats.
shrinking government
Musk’s anti-government ax goes back to his feelings that regulations are hampering car manufacturing and space rocket projects, but he also won approval from Donald Trump to cut $500 billion from the U.S. federal budget. Given.
He and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy are leading the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge Ministry), named after Musk’s cryptocurrency of choice, Dogecoin.
Mr Farage was quick to endorse this. Mr Trump’s plan to appoint Mr Musk to slash the US public sector and lay off ‘huge numbers of people’ is a blueprint for what needs to happen in the UK, says Reform sect leaders said last month.
Tim Bale, a professor of political science at Queen Mary University of London, said part of the reason reformers appealed to Musk was his status as a “disruptor”, a serial entrepreneur’s personality willing to shy away from confrontation. He said that it reflects the
“The main appeal of reform for Mr. Musk is that they are disruptors, and Mr. Musk likes disruptors,” he said. “He likes the fact that they’re shaking things up.”
Rights and “woke war”
Musk said he vowed to “destroy” what he called the “woke mind virus” after his separation from his transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson.
It’s a topic the billionaire returned to repeatedly during his tweets, waging a cross-culture war over diversity regulations.
Mr Farage put gender issues and debate on the first page of his party’s general election manifesto earlier this year, citing the “divisive ‘woke’ ideology” that had gripped public institutions.
The reform bill promised to ban what it called “transgender ideology” in schools within the first 100 days of the administration. It also promised to replace the Equality Act and said it would repeal its diversity, equality and inclusion provisions.
“Clearly, Mr. Musk is angry about trans issues in particular and the so-called woke virus in general. That aligns well with Reform UK’s position on the culture war,” Bale said.
net zero
As the CEO of one of the world’s leading electric vehicle brands, Musk has strong environmental credentials. However, Musk has recently become more vague about environmental issues. In a meeting with President Trump about X in August, Musk said it was “wrong” to denigrate the fossil fuel sector.
In terms of existential threats, Musk has also expressed great interest in declining birth rates and artificial intelligence as issues that demand global attention. This is a change from his position in 2018, when he said climate change was “the greatest threat facing humanity this century.”
Reformers advocate rolling back environmentally friendly policies. The UK has vowed to scrap its 2050 net zero target of removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the UK emits, saying it is “hurting a huge blow to our economy”.
The party has also pledged to fast-track North Sea oil and gas licenses, as well as working harder to enable hydraulic fracturing.
Russia
Mr. Musk has moved from his initial support for Ukraine to more ambiguous positions, including trolling the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
In 2022, the billionaire sparked outrage by announcing a “peace plan” calling for Ukraine to become neutral and withdraw from NATO membership.
Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service was used to assist Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022, but last year Musk launched the system to support a surprise attack on the Ukrainian side. It became clear that the request had been refused, causing controversy.
Mr Farage has faced criticism over claims that Ukraine could not defeat Russia and questions about the US decision to allow Kiev to use long-range missiles.
The Reform leader’s past comments, including that the EU and NATO “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by expanding eastward, have also put him at odds with other mainstream British parties.
