ELON MUSK BELIEVES BRITAIN IS IN VERY DEEP TROUBLE
Nigel (R) with Musk and Reform Treasurer Nick Candy at Mar-A-Lago (12/16)
[Nigel Farage is the founder-leader of Britain’s Reform UK Party, which he represents as an MP (Member of Parliament) in the House of Commons. Britain will soon no longer be a two-party Uniparty between Conservative and Labor. The former did such an awful job under a succession of ridiculous Prime Ministers after jettisoning Boris Johnson, the Brits promptly jumped from the Tory frying pan into the catastrophically Woke Marxist fire of Labor. Not long ago it would be laughably delusional among Brits that Reform would supplant the Tories and Farage be Prime Minister. No laughing anymore.
This is a front page essay by Farage in today’s (12/18) London Telegraph, paired with a front-page news report: “Musk Ready To Bankroll Farage With ‘Biggest Donation In British Political History’.” Read them both and you’ll see why Farage may well transform the UK as Trump is doing to the US, both enabled by Elon.]
A Monday afternoon (12/16) visit to Mar-a-Lago, and boy was it busy. Throughout the day, the world’s biggest tech giants were queuing up to meet Donald Trump, from Kris Marszalek, the head of Crypto.com, to Shou Zi Chew, the chief executive of TikTok.
This transition period was nothing like what I saw in 2016: there is a sense of order, determined calm and above all optimism. Trump’s personal ratings continue to rise in a way that’s not been seen before in an incoming president. And is it any wonder?
I met with Japanese billionaire investor Masa Son, of Soft Bank, shortly after he had given a press statement with Trump standing next to him, in which he promised over the course of his term to invest $100 billion in America and create up to 100,000 new jobs in tech and AI.
In response, Trump took the podium and said: “Thank you, and why don’t you double it up to $200 billion” – to which Son replied that Trump was a “great negotiator”, and certainly did nothing to refuse Trump’s kind request.
This is just one example of the atmosphere in Mar-a-Lago and the increasing aura around President Trump himself. It is no exaggeration to say that there is real excitement in the air and no one doubts that, by the date of the inauguration on Jan 20, the Trump administration is going to hit the ground running.
All of this is in such marked contrast to the doom, gloom and misery that is all-pervading in the United Kingdom at the moment.
I have little doubt that, with every public utterance that comes from Prime Minister Starmer or the questionably qualified Chancellor of the Exchequer, that all we are doing is talking ourselves into a recession.
Unlike Trump, who understands the ups and downs of investing, of risk capital and of new ventures, it is clear that our Labour front bench has no comprehension of what the private sector even is.
The main purpose of my visit, alongside Nick Candy, my new Reform UK treasurer, was a scheduled meeting with Elon Musk.
He was very generous with his time, and I was particularly fascinated to listen as he explained his organization of the ground campaign that took place in the seven key swing states.
There is little doubt that Musk’s contribution to the scale of the Trump victory is not to be underestimated. I have come home with copious notes of how they increased the turnout, voter registration and so much more, and all of this I intend to implement as part of the professionalization of our party.
It is also heartening to listen to Elon speak about UK politics with such deep care. He regards the mother country of the English-speaking world as being in very deep trouble.
He described the Labour and Conservative parties as the Uniparty, and left us in no doubt that he is right behind us.
Inevitably, following such intense media speculation, the issue of money was discussed, and there will be ongoing negotiations on that score.
Several officials also came up to speak to me having seen my interventions around the vital military facility that the US has on Diego Garcia. I was able to assure them that the Chagos Islands’ surrender was not only wholly unnecessary but represented a bad deal for the United Kingdom, America, the free world and not least the Chagossian people.
I promise the Labour Government there is trouble ahead on this issue.
Musk Ready To Bankroll Farage With ‘Biggest Donation In British Political History’
London Telegraph, December 18, 2024
Elon Musk has backed Reform UK and opened discussions with Nigel Farage about making a major donation to the party to defeat both Labour and the Conservatives.
Mr. Farage met the tech billionaire at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s Florida club, on Monday and “the issue of money was discussed” amid speculation that he could donate as much as $100 million (£78 million).
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr. Farage, the Reform leader, said Mr. Musk “left us in no doubt that he is right behind us” and launched “ongoing negotiations” about a financial contribution.
It is the first time that either Mr. Farage or Mr. Musk has acknowledged rumors that the latter is considering a multi-million pound donation, which could be the largest in British political history.
The SpaceX and Tesla entrepreneur is a vocal critic of the Labour Government and has accused Sir Keir Starmer of eroding freedom of speech by running a “tyrannical police state”.
Mr. Farage shared a photograph of the two on Tuesday with the caption: “Britain needs Reform.” Mr. Musk replied: “Absolutely.”
The Reform leader was joined by Nick Candy, a London property magnate and former Conservative donor who defected to Reform last week, becoming the party’s treasurer and promising to bring in “tens of millions of pounds”.
Mr. Farage wrote that he hoped to learn from Mr. Trump’s election victory and had discussed the Republican “ground game” in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Musk controversially gave cash handouts to registered voters.
He said: “I have come home with copious notes of how they increased the turnout, voter registration and so much more, and all of this I intend to implement as part of the professionalization of our party. It is also heartening to listen to Elon speak about UK politics with such deep care. He regards the mother country of the English-speaking world as being in very deep trouble.”
There have been suggestions that Mr. Musk could donate as much as $100 million to Reform. Mr. Farage commented, “Inevitably, following such intense media speculation, the issue of money was discussed and there will be ongoing negotiations on that score.”
The Telegraph understands that Mr. Musk has significant concerns about the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires social media companies including X – which he owns – to regulate their content.
Scrapping or amending the legislation may become a key request of Mr. Trump when he enters trade negotiations with Britain next year.
Mr. Trump’s team has warned that the UK must choose between a closer trade relationship with either the US or the EU, suggesting that talks could end with tariffs of up to 20 per cent on UK exports if the incoming president is not placated.
In a sign of Mr. Farage’s growing familiarity with the new Trump administration, he also met JD Vance, the vice president-elect.
Mr. Vance has spoken to Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, since the US election last month, but no party leader other than Mr. Farage has met Mr. Musk.
In a statement, Mr. Farage said:
“I had a great meeting with vice-president elect JD Vance yesterday. He is a friend of mine and I have known him for 14 years – Kemi Badenoch has known him for 14 days. I have always said I will help this Government with contacts. It isn’t just President Trump and the incoming vice-president, but I have known large numbers of the cabinet for many years.
I will always do what is in the national interest, and renewing strong our ties with America after four years of Joe Biden can only be a good thing for our country.”
On her recent trip to Washington, Mrs Badenoch said she was “excited about Doge”, an efficiency project Mr. Musk will lead next year, describing its work as “absolutely brilliant”. But he has declined to return her warm words, preferring to criticize Sir Keir and back Mr. Farage.
During riots across the UK in August, Mr. Musk posted online that “civil war is inevitable”, drawing criticism from a Downing Street spokesman, who said there was “no justification for comments like that”.
After Labour imposed inheritance tax on British farmers, Musk claimed the UK was “going full Stalin”. He also supported a petition for a new general election last month, writing online: “The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state.”
As a US citizen, Mr. Musk cannot legally donate to a UK political party, but he could give Reform money via the British branch of X.
A contribution of £78 million would easily eclipse the biggest single party donation in British history – a £10 million gift by Lord Sainsbury to the Conservative Party in 2023. It would also deal a major blow to both Labour and the Conservatives, who are challenging Reform in dozens of local council elections in May.
Lord Mandelson, the Labour peer in contention to be the UK’s next ambassador to the US, has said the Government must use Mr. Farage and other Trump allies as a “bridge” to Mr. Musk, and that it would be “unwise” to ignore him.