Elon Musk has once again involved himself in British politics, this time endorsing a new right-wing entity, Advance UK, while simultaneously criticizing Nigel Farage, the leader of the increasingly prominent Reform UK party.
Musk recently posted on X, stating: “Go with @_AdvanceUK, Ben [Habib] and Tommy [Robinson] for the real change that’s needed to save Britain!” In a subsequent post, he added, “Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing.”
Earlier this month, Musk addressed tens of thousands in London during the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, organized by the controversial right-winger Tommy Robinson. The billionaire participated in the march via video link, condemning the left as “the party of murder.”
Musk also targeted Nigel Farage, a potential future British prime minister, claiming he “doesn’t have what it takes” before Advance UK was formed. More recently, he asserted, “There needs to be massive government reform in Britain and the people need to be in charge, not some bureaucracy that doesn’t care.”
Advance UK, a right-leaning party nearing official registration, is led by Ben Habib, who previously served as co-deputy chairman of Reform UK. Habib declared, “The two-party system is dead. The Conservatives and Labour Party have had their chance, and now the people want something new.”
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, affirmed, “You clearly don’t have a two-party system.” However, he raised questions about whether this fragmented system would produce a majority government or establish a clear main opposition party.
A contributing factor to the fragmentation of British politics is widespread public disapproval of political leaders. According to YouGov polling data, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage all registered unfavorable views ranging from 52% to 68%.
Despite negative perceptions of Farage, Reform UK currently leads in general election polls, as reported by Ipsos. However, this does not guarantee Reform’s victory in the upcoming election.
Mendoza commented, “If there was an election tomorrow, then it would likely win.” Yet, he stressed that the uncertain timing of the next election makes accurate predictions nearly impossible at this stage. He added, “The golden law of British politics is you can’t predict the vote that far ahead.”
When questioned about the need for Advance UK given Farage’s party’s lead in polls, Habib contended, “Reform will not deliver. It stands for nothing. It is a populist party without a political philosophy and without intellectual heft or capability.” Habib further claimed, “Farage has a patriotic persona, but he is nothing more than a political expedient. He would be worse than [former Prime Minister]
Nevertheless, Advance UK does not appear poised to split votes with Reform. Mendoza suggested that involving Robinson in the party might have been a misstep. During the recent rally, some protestors reportedly attacked police officers. Mendoza remarked, “Most people will not like violence at a political rally. And they won’t support the party.”
A primary frustration among voters currently is the failure of both the present and previous governments to stem the rise in legal and illegal immigration, which has, in fact, worsened. Government data indicates that almost 50,000 undocumented immigrants, many seeking asylum, arrived in Britain in the 12 months leading up to June, an increase from approximately 39,000 in the same period the previous year.
On Saturday, the Daily Telegraph reported that migrants now account for 98% of the latest population increase. Citing the Office for National Statistics, the Telegraph stated that an estimated 69.3 million people were living in the country in mid-2024, an increase of 755,254 from mid-2023.
Habib stated, “We need a holistic solution to reduce immigration.” He also emphasized the necessity of enforcing borders and deporting illegal migrants. Compounding the issue, these asylum seekers are being housed in hotels at a taxpayer expense of £5.8 million ($7.4 million) daily.
Earlier this summer, protests concerning asylum hotels erupted in Epping, southeast England. Separately, Farage suspended one of his local councilors due to accusations of racism made during the demonstration.
Elon Musk responded to Farage’s suspension of the council member, writing: “Farage is weak, runny sauce. He won’t let Reform even stand up for their own people, e.g. punishing their Epping member, and he will change nothing of significance politically.”
According to recent polls, the British public would largely agree that significant change is needed, particularly regarding free speech. Earlier this year, an Irish comedian was confronted by armed police at Heathrow Airport following online comments made about transgender people. Such incidents appear to be increasingly commonplace.
Yet, despite Musk’s criticisms, a new YouGov opinion poll released Friday in the U.K. indicated that Farage’s Reform UK is on track to inflict a substantial defeat on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his governing Labour Party if an election were to take place.
The Daily Telegraph quoted Farage, who described his party’s growth as “astonishing” and declared, “we’re now coming for Labour.”