Large Elon Musk donation information to me, says Nigel Farage

Reform UK chief Nigel Farage says discuss of a $100m (£78m) donation to his get together by US billionaire Elon Musk is “pure hypothesis”.

Farage advised the BBC the concept was “full information to me” and “I’ve heard nothing of the type”.

The rumours have been sparked by the Sunday Occasions, which reported Conservative Social gathering officers have been involved about Reform utilizing the cash to wipe their get together out on the subsequent election.

Mr Musk’s father Errol in an interview with GB Information, urged his son, whose grandmother was British, might take UK citizenship to get spherical international donation guidelines.

Mr Musk is a outstanding critic of Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and has backed Reform UK to type the subsequent authorities in posts on his social media platform X.

As a US citizen Mr Musk can not make private political donations within the UK.

However a donation could possibly be made by the British department of X, the Sunday Occasions urged.

Talking to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Farage mentioned “even a fraction of that cash would make a large distinction to our operation as a celebration, [but] it’s purely theoretical”.

He added that though he does know Mr Musk and “politically he’s a supporter of mine, there’s no secret to that, I’ve by no means solicited a donation from him and one has by no means been provided”.

He additionally raised doubts {that a} donation of that dimension can be potential if funnelled by way of the UK arm of Mr Musk’s X social media web site, previously often called Twitter.

“So far as the corporate is anxious the Electoral Fee would take a view {that a} donation that got here from an organization must be proportional to the scale of the corporate on this nation,” he mentioned.

“The concept that X Corp might give $100m to any political get together is for the birds.”

Pressed on whether or not he would settle for a donation, Farage mentioned “in fact I’d settle for cash” however identified that James Goldsmith’s Referendum Social gathering spent £25m on the 1997 election and “acquired 3%” of the vote.

He added: “Cash isn’t every thing.”

Mr Musk, who was born in South Africa, donated $75m to US President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election bid, with $72m of that going to a political motion committee he arrange known as America PAC.

Mr Musk’s father Errol urged the SpaceX and Tesla mogul may even be ready to develop into a UK citizen to make a $100m donation to Reform UK.

He advised GB Information: “I am eligible for British citizenship, so is he, I suppose.”

He added: “If the factor that is stopping Farage from transferring forward is cash, then he ought to get cash in order that he can transfer forward.”

Requested what his household had towards Sir Keir, Errol Musk mentioned: “What’s occurred in England is simply completely un-English.”