Elon Musk has reignited his bitter feud with Nigel Farage by dismissing the Reform UK leader's mass deportation plans as inadequate. The tech billionaire branded Farage "weak sauce who will do nothing" in a scathing attack on X.
The comments came after Farage unveiled his "Operation Restoring Justice" plan to deport 600,000 illegal immigrants within five years if Reform wins the next election. The ambitious proposal would require withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and other international treaties to prevent "activist judges" blocking the deportations.
Musk switches allegiance
Musk now claims to support the far-right Advance UK party instead of Reform, marking a dramatic shift from their once-close alliance. He wrote on X: "Advance UK will actually drive change. Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing."
The billionaire had earlier posted: "Unfortunately, the reality is that Farage will do almost nothing to protect Britain. That is obvious." Their relationship collapsed in January when Musk called for Farage to be replaced as Reform leader following controversy over Tommy Robinson.
Controversial deportation strategy
Farage's plan would revive the Conservatives' failed Rwanda scheme while seeking deals with countries including Afghanistan and Iran to take back asylum seekers. According to analysis, the proposal would require five deportation flights daily carrying more than 150 people each to meet the targets.
Reform would also repeal the Human Rights Act and withdraw from international treaties to overcome legal challenges. The party claims this approach would stop judicial reviews that have previously blocked similar deportation attempts.
Political tensions escalate
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice defended the party's position during an appearance on BBC Newsnight. "We're leading in all the national polls," he said. "You can be friendly with someone and not agree with them on everything."
Tice acknowledged their disagreements with Musk while praising him as "a brilliant entrepreneur" whose products he enjoys. The deputy leader emphasised that friends can sometimes disagree on policy matters.
Sources used: "HuffPost UK", "Independent", "Skynews", "Daily Mail", "Yorkshire Post", "BBC" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
