Elon Musk, the billionaire engineer from South Africa, recently waded into UK politics, taking issue with Nigel Farage, a prominent figure in the Brexit movement. Farage has been pushing for significant changes to the UK’s immigration policy, including the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
On Tuesday, Farage declared plans to repeal human rights laws from the Tony Blair era and withdraw the UK from the European treaties on human rights if he gains power.
His “restoration of justice” agenda includes a commitment to deport illegal immigrants back to their home countries, like Afghanistan, by enacting what he calls the “Illegal Immigrant Mass Expulsion Act.” This measure aims to bypass left-leaning judicial systems.
Moreover, his party appears to be mirroring strategies from Donald Trump, as they plan to create mass detention centers for deportees and negotiate with asylum seekers from nations such as El Salvador.
This proposal has drawn criticism from various quarters, including a Labor politician and mainstream media. Musk also weighed in, suggesting that Farage’s approach might be excessively extreme. He expressed his thoughts on X Platform:
Musk, seemingly unaware of the complexities of the prevalent neoliberal framework established by Blair and supported by the original party, claimed that “the government simply needs to enforce the law.”
He elaborated that the existing laws currently permit individuals who are connected to severe crimes, like aggravated assault or worse, particularly against children, to share the same consequences as those committing these acts — imprisonment or deportation.
Interestingly, Musk also showed some support for Advance UK, a party started by Ben Habib, a former reform chair. This party’s emergence could potentially split the reform vote, especially if Musk lends his considerable influence to it.
Musk’s comments on this issue came right after he faced backlash from some supporters in the US regarding his support for mass immigration through the H1-B visa program. His businesses have previously come under fire for replacing American workers with H1-B visa holders.
The renewed attention to grooming issues seems to have heightened pressure on the British government, which has recently conceded to launch a national investigation into widespread child sexual abuse scandals linked to Muslim gangs. Farage has been vocal about this topic for over ten years.
Musk has also been aligning himself more closely with Trump lately, especially regarding significant financial bills that boost resources for border enforcement and deportations. He expressed concerns about these expenditures possibly diverting attention from space explorations, even hinting at abolishing the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
The latest jabs from Musk at Farage were sparked by a post from independent MP Rupert Lowe, who was ousted from the reform party earlier this year after criticizing Farage. The Crown Prosecutor Service noted previously that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against Lowe, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Interestingly, Musk’s criticism of Farage seems to reflect a rift within the reform party as they debate the policies around the deportation of individuals connected to gang crimes. Farage has highlighted disagreements with Lowe on these policies, claiming that his proposals would exclude UK-born individuals.
