Three weeks after a very public rift, the populist British politician Nigel Farage said on Wednesday that his relationship with Elon Musk was “fine” and that the two men had spoken just last week.
Mr. Farage, in a brief interview with The New York Times, said that Mr. Musk, the world’s richest man, remained open to making a sizable donation to Reform U.K., the insurgent anti-immigration party. Mr. Musk has already shown a desire to wield influence in U.K. politics, even calling for the jailing of Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer.
The prospect of a huge donation from the multibillionaire tech mogul has led some politicians to suggest new restrictions on foreign donations.
Mr. Farage called Mr. Musk a “heroic figure” and said that discussions around a donation were “just about him having an appropriate vehicle.” In Britain, foreign donations are permitted but must be made through a U.K.-registered company.
“Nothing is closed off as far as I know,” Mr. Farage said one day after a fund-raiser that he said brought in more than 1 million pounds ($1.25 million), big money in British politics.
Mr. Musk did not respond on Wednesday to a message seeking comment sent by email.
Mr. Musk appeared poised to influence British politics on behalf of Reform, a party with a populist platform that closely mirrors Mr. Trump’s. But Mr. Musk seemed to sour on Mr. Farage abruptly early this month, declaring on social media, “The Reform Party needs a new leader.”
The rift appeared to have been over Mr. Musk’s demand that a far-right agitator, Tommy Robinson, be released from prison, where he is being held for contempt of court. Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has multiple criminal convictions, including for assault and fraud, and a history of Islamophobic statements.
“I know a lot of Americans see him as a great champion of free speech, but I just don’t see him as suitable for our party,” Mr. Farage said. “And I’m not someone that budges very easily.”
But he cast that as a mere disagreement. “We’ve got very similar goals on some areas, slightly different emphases in others,” he said, noting that in earlier conversations, Mr. Musk had shared lessons from Mr. Trump’s winning campaign in swing states.
“There’s a heck of a lot we’ve learned from that we will implement over the next few years,” Mr. Farage said.
Beyond Mr. Musk’s deep pockets, Mr. Farage said he was considering ways to tap other Americans who have given to Mr. Trump. During his visits to Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Mr. Farage said he had been approached by a “number of people” exclaiming: “We want to give you money! We want to give you money!”
He was careful to say that Reform U.K. would not accept money from U.S. citizens directly — only from those who have “active U.K. trading companies.” That could include the sizable and wealthy British expatriate community in the United States, which he said Reform plans to target.
The revelations are likely to trigger fresh concern among Britain’s Labour government and Conservative Party, which are already uneasy about Reform’s rapid rise from the fringe of national politics to a party snapping at the heels of those two dominant parties in the polls.
Reform has pledged to cut “wasteful” government spending, increase the military budget, abandon key climate targets and push Britain back toward oil and gas. And it wants to scrap diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Mr. Farage, like Mr. Trump, has taken a hard line on immigration and has rallied against “woke” ideology.” Reform has promised to freeze immigration.
Mr. Farage was ebullient over Reform’s million-dollar gala on Tuesday night. “That sounds like peanuts to an American audience, but to a fairly new British political party, that’s a pretty good evening,” he said.
“The dinner was about raising money, but it’s also about extending our influence,” he added.
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