Could this be the picture which defines the next period of British politics? There they were, like three brothers in arms, in front of a remarkable portrait of their hero of myth. Front and centre was the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, arms resolutely folded, a fixed expression of haughty defiance, and wearing a brown leather flying jacket with white fur collar (available online for £171), looking, according to The Washington Post, “like a caricature of mid-century rogue masculinity”. A tough guy. A maverick. The main man.
He was flanked by his two supplicants. To his left was the leader of Britain’s Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, and to his right was Reform’s treasurer, the upmarket property developer and former Conservative donor, Nick Candy. They were more soberly dressed in business suits, although Farage, in an homage to Donald Trump (in whose Florida home the meeting took place), wears a white shirt and red tie.
And behind them, on the oak-panelled wall, like the portrait of Dorian Gray, is a painting of an impossibly young, slim, handsomely coiffed Trump, wearing, inexplicably, a cricket jumper, and posing in front of a golden dawn. (I am sure we will discover that the incoming US president was a “tremendous” cricketer, who many thought to be the “very best batsman of all time”.)
There is, however, more than one way of looking at this carefully-curated image. Is it the Christmas card from hell? Or is it a publicity shot for a yet-to-be-written pantomime called “He’s Behind You!”
We do not know yet the extent to which Musk is, in fact, behind Farage. The Reform leader has claimed Musk is “very supportive” of him, and told the BBC that they “did talk about money” during their one-hour meeting. “He wants to help us,” Farage said. “He’s not opposed to the idea of giving us money, provided we can do it legally through UK companies.” (Current laws stipulate that all donations to political parties of more than £500 should come from voters on the electoral register or companies registered in the UK.)
Phew. Thank heavens any contribution from Musk will be above board and legit. The fact that the balance of the UK’s political system can be skewed by the predilections of an American citizen whose net worth is $492bn would appear to be neither here nor there. No wonder the Labour Government is now considering the Electoral Commission’s clear advice that the law needs to be strengthened. Labour Party sources have been reported as saying that a significant contribution (rumoured to be $100m) from the world’s richest man would “not be within the spirit” of the existing party funding rules.
Our electoral laws were written some 20 years ago, and would not, it seems, be a bulwark against Musk – or any other foreign billionaire with intent – pumping untold millions into the system with, for example, online advertisements and in support of individual candidates. Our political settlement is vulnerable to partisan interference in a way it never has been before.
There is, however, an argument that we should all get real, and not waste time closing the stable door when the horse has already galloped over the horizon. Politics around the world has been disrupted by the instruments of the modern world, particularly to the benefit of populist right-wing parties, and Musk, with his billions and his own social media platform, is a totem of this new reality.
He has already signalled his support for Reform on X to his 207 million followers, reposting contributions from Reform-inclined users, and adding his own direct message: “Time for massive Reform [note the upper case] in Britain,” he wrote in the wake of his meeting with Farage and Candy. Like it or not, the man who has three nationalities (American, Canadian and South African) is a player in British politics.
But perhaps we should have more confidence that proud British voters will take one look at the picture of that unholy trinity and think they are being played for fools. We can see what your game is. Why should we bend to the power and money of a latter-day potentate? It may in fact work against Reform. And there’s a cheery seasonal thought to ponder on.
'President Musk' is flexing his muscles and revealing how weak Trump is