DAILY MAIL ONLINE | Published January 8, 2025
Nigel Farage lashed out at US politicians for supporting ‘thuggish’ Tommy Robinson today – as he tried to mend his relationship with Elon Musk.
The Reform UK leader criticised rightwing Americans who believe the incarcerated former EDL leader is a ‘political prisoner’ and said he was trying to ‘educate’ them.
Mr Musk on Sunday called for Mr Farage to be replaced as Reform leader, after he refused to follow the X owner and Donald Trump aide in calling for Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – to be freed.
The pint-sized far-right leader is serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court over social media messages about a teenage migrant, which began in October.
American multi-billionaire Musk has spent the past week fixated on UK politics, specifically over British Asian sex abuse gangs in northern towns.
But speaking to LBC radio today Mr Farage said that while he wanted to ‘mend fences’ with Musk at Trump’s inauguration later this month, supporting Robinson was not going to happen.
‘Many of my American friends have seen one side of the Robinson story. He says he is in prison for exposing the grooming gangs and they go ”oh my goodness me, this is dreadful, he is a political prisoner”,’ he said.
‘The fact is he has been in prison many times over the years – three times for contempt of court – and once he almost brought down a trial at which gang rapists were ultimately convicted.
‘I am on a campaign in America at the moment to educate people as to just who Tommy Robinson really is.’
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SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk
RELATED: Farage defends Musk after grooming gangs posts
BBC NEWS | Published January 8, 2025
Nigel Farage has defended Elon Musk after the billionaire attacked the UK government’s response to grooming gangs on X, the social media platform he owns.
In a series of posts over several days, Musk suggested Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute gangs and said Home Office minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison”.
It came as the Home Office defended its decision to reject a request for it to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham. The Conservatives and Reform UK have called for a wider national inquiry.
Asked about Musk’s comments on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said he had used “very tough terms” but that “free speech was back” on X under his ownership.
The Reform UK leader was also pressed on his wider relationship with Musk, who is said to be considering donating money to his party.
Musk’s latest intervention on UK politics came after Phillips, a safeguarding minister within the Home Office, instructed Oldham Council to launch its own local inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the town, similar to inquiries set up in Rochdale and Telford. The local authority had called for a government-led inquiry.
The tech tycoon seized on the decision, which was taken in October, and began heavily criticising the British government online.
He suggested Sir Keir had failed to properly prosecute rape gangs while director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly shared posts from Reform and Conservative MPs calling for a national inquiry.
Musk, who is a key adviser to incoming US President Donald Trump, called the prime minister “two-tier Keir” and accused Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist”.
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SOURCE: www.bbc.com
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