Nigel Farage has said he and Elon Musk are still friends but warned he “can’t be bullied” after the Tesla boss called for a new Reform UK leader.
It comes after the tech billionaire said on his social media site X last week that the MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
Now, Mr Farage has revealed that he has spoken with Mr Musk.
When asked if the pair are still friends, he told Sky News: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
The former UKIP leader added he has “been in touch” with the SpaceX CEO, but he did not divulge what they discussed.
Mr Farage added: “Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is.”
When asked if he was afraid to criticise Mr Musk the MP for Clacton said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with him as regards far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
In December, a photo was released of Musk and Farage with Reform UK’s treasurer, Nick Candy, at Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago estate.
They reportedly engaged in an hour-long meeting at the resort.
Farage and Candy said in a statement afterwards: “We had a great meeting with Elon Musk for an hour yesterday. We learned a great deal about the Trump ground game and will have ongoing discussions on other areas.”
They added: “We only have one more chance left to save the West and we can do great things together.”