Nigel Farage has launched a defence of Elon Musk’s incendiary social media attacks on Keir Starmer, claiming that “free speech is back” under the Tesla tycoon’s ownership of X (Twitter).
The Reform UK leader said that “tough things get said” in public life after Mr Musk described safeguarding minister Jess Phillips as a “rape genocide apologist” who should be in jail.
And he welcomed Mr Musk’s ownership of the platform, saying open debate is now possible.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has defended Ms Phillips as a “fearless and formidable” advocate for victims who has “dedicated her career to tackling sexual violence and abuse”.
And health secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Musk’s remarks were ridiculous and ill-informed and “not fair on either of their records”.
“As director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer opened up historic cases so that people who got away with it, we went after them,” he told Sky News.
He added: “I’m not interested in what [Mr Musk] has to say about this… I am interested in what we are doing as a government which is taking the record that the PM and Jess Phillips and home secretary Yvette Cooper have on this issue to deliver the real change victims deserve.”
But, asked about Mr Musk’s comments about Ms Phillips, Mr Farage said “free speech is back” and claimed X now offered a space for “proper, open debate”.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that "tough things get said... by both sides of the debate".
He added: "This man happens to be the richest man in the world, but equally, the fact that he’s bought Twitter now actually gives us a place where we can have a proper open debate about many things... Free speech is back, we may find it offensive, but it’s a good thing, not a bad thing."
The billionaire X owner had said Ms Phillips “deserves to be in prison” for denying requests for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.
Ms Phillips said in a letter to the local council that Oldham must follow in the footsteps of other towns such as Rotherham and Telford and commission its own inquiry into historical abuse of children.
Mr Musk also continued attacking Sir Keir Starmer, saying the prime minister failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he was director of public prosecutions.
The billionaire has in recent weeks voiced his support for Reform UK, amid rumours he is preparing to donate up to $100m to the party.
Asked whether he was defending Mr Musk because of the rumoured donation from the billionaire to Reform UK being in the works, Mr Farage said the $100m figure was “for the birds”.
But he said Mr Musk “may well” give the insurgent populist party money, stressing that “it’s got to be legal” and “he has to be comfortable with it”.
Mr Farage said that, more importantly than cash donations, Mr Musk makes Reform “look cool with huge numbers of young people”, describing him as “a hero”.
Mr Farage’s defence of Mr Musk comes after he distanced himself from the billionaire over his support for jailed political activist Tommy Robinson.
The Reform UK leader said Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is “not what we need”, as his party seeks to challenge Labour in upcoming elections.
And, responding to Mr Musk’s call to “free Tommy Robinson”, who is serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court, Mr Farage said Mr Musk “sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs”.
He added: “But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court.
“We’re a political party aiming to win the next general election. He’s not what we need.”
Last year, Ms Phillips described X as a “place of misery” and said she planned to use the site less.
Senior Tories, including opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, have since sought to put pressure on the government over grooming gangs.
In 2022, the then Conservative government also refused a request for a public inquiry into events in Oldham.
