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It was an abrupt turnabout, even for the easy-come, easy-go nature of alliances in President-elect Donald J. Trump\u2019s political orbit.<\/p>\n
For weeks, Elon Musk, Mr. Trump\u2019s billionaire backer, had wrapped his arms around the British populist politician, Nigel Farage, promoting his insurgent, anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K., as the answer to Britain\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
But on Sunday, Mr. Musk posted<\/a>, \u201cThe Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn\u2019t have what it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Musk did not explain his change of heart. But it appears linked to Mr. Farage\u2019s refusal to endorse Mr. Musk\u2019s demand that a far-right agitator, Tommy Robinson, be released from prison. Mr. Farage has distanced himself from Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who has multiple criminal convictions in addition to a history of Islamophobic statements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWell, this is a surprise!\u201d a studiously chipper Mr. Farage posted an hour after Mr. Musk<\/a>. \u201cElon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Musk\u2019s rupture with Mr. Farage was a new twist in the days-long barrage of increasingly strident, misinformation-filled posts about Britain from Mr. Musk<\/a>, who appears intent on exercising the same influence in European countries that he did during the American presidential election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He falsely accused the prime minister, Keir Starmer, of failing to go after child rapists when he was head of public prosecutions. And he endorsed a post calling on King Charles III to dissolve Parliament and call elections to remove Britain\u2019s Labour government, a constitutional impossibility.<\/p>\n Mr. Musk targeted Britain after boosting a far-right party in Germany, Alternative for Germany. In Britain, where Mr. Musk has condemned the Labour government for its prosecution of online hate speech, among other issues, Mr. Farage seemed to have locked up Mr. Musk\u2019s support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But Mr. Farage appeared to have seen trouble brewing over Mr. Robinson. Speaking to the BBC on Sunday<\/a> before Mr. Musk\u2019s post, he described the tech billionaire as a \u201cfriend\u201d and free speech \u201chero.\u201d But he added that just because Mr. Musk \u201csupports me politically and supports Reform, doesn\u2019t mean I have to agree with every single statement he makes on X.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Farage has campaigned for Mr. Trump and made pilgrimages to his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. But Mr. Musk has not hesitated to clash with even longtime allies of Mr. Trump. His support of visas for technology workers has put him at odds with some Trump backers, including Stephen K. Bannon, who accused him of betraying Mr. Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d credo.<\/p>\n A rift between Mr. Musk and Mr. Farage could have unpredictable consequences for both men. Mr. Farage, who won a seat in Parliament last July after eight attempts, is an adroit politician who has ridden the populist wave for decades. While Mr. Musk\u2019s posts have drawn a lot of attention, the number of users of X in Britain has declined since he took it over.<\/p>\n Mr. Musk appeared to be flirting with another Reform member of Parliament, Rupert Lowe. Replying to a post about whether he should replace Mr. Farage as the party\u2019s leader, Mr. Musk wrote<\/a>, \u201cI have not met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I have read so far make a lot of sense.\u201d<\/p>\n The most immediate impact of Mr. Musk\u2019s rebuke is likely to be on Reform U.K.\u2019s fund-raising. When he was asked during the BBC interview whether he expected Mr. Musk to donate, he said, \u201cHe may well do; he may well do. But it\u2019s got to be legal; he\u2019s got to be comfortable with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n