Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has more billionaires lined up to follow Elon Musk’s lead and pour cash into ‘disrupting’ UK politics, a senior party figure claimed today.
Nick Candy, the property billionaire and husband of ex-popstar Holly Valance, claimed Reform would out-fundraise all other UK parties, amid claims Mr Musk is poised to open his wallet.
The X owner, who this weekend endorsed German far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), has been linked with a $100million (£79million) gift to Nigel Farage’s outfit.
In an interview with the Financial Times Mr Candy, the party treasurer and a former Tory donor, said the party would cause ‘political disruption like we have never seen before’, with the money set to be spent on grassroots campaigning, data and polling.
Earlier this month the Reform leader and treasurer met Mr Musk at Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, fuelling speculation about a substantial donation.
However, the party was accused of being all talk and no trousers by new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who questioned whether any money would come from Musk.
‘Mr Farage says a whole load of things. I don’t say things unless they are true … all Reform does is talk.’
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Nick Candy, the property billionaire and husband of ex-popstar Holly Valance, claimed Reform would out-fundraise all other UK parties, amid claims Mr Musk is poised to open his wallet.
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The X owner, who this weekend endorsed German far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), has been linked with a $100million (£79million) gift to Nigel Farage’s outfit.
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View gallery
However, the party was accused of being all talk and no trousers by new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who questioned whether any money would come from Musk. ‘I don’t think he is actually giving them anything … all we’ve seen is Nigel Farage saying ”he’s going to give me money”, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Property developer Mr Candy told the FT Reform would have more members than the Conservative party within three months.
The party has launched an online site with a counter displaying its membership and the target needed to overtake the Tories.
‘We have a number of billionaires prepared to donate to the party, not just Elon,’ Mr Candy said.
‘The Reform party is the disrupter — this is the seed round, the series A. This will be political disruption like we have never seen before.’
Mr Candy, who arranged the meeting between Mr Musk and Mr Farage, said the US billionaire would ‘be the first of many wealthy donors legally allowed to donate’, although he did not name any others.
Nigel Farage reveals what he spoke to Elon Musk about in Florida
The treasurer, who switched from the Tories and promised a ‘seven-figure sum’ for Reform, said the party had ‘more Conservative values in its little finger than the Conservative party’.
‘Even the big Tory donors are calling me,’ he told the Financial Times. ‘A lot of people will join us. The movement has started.’
Rules preventing foreign donations mean Mr Musk would have to funnel any donation through one of his UK-based businesses.
Parties can accept donations from a number of sources including individuals on the UK electoral register or a UK-registered company.
The head of the Electoral Commission, Vijay Rangarajan, has called for the rules to be strengthened to ‘protect the electoral system from foreign interference’.
Commons Leader Lucy Powell said any proposals to change the law would not come until next year.
She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips there will be an Elections Bill ‘probably in the next parliamentary session’ which could include ‘making sure that the issues around donations are … fair and robust’.
Shadow cabinet minister Kevin Hollinrake said he would not seek to block Mr Musk making a donation, but suggested he would like him to back the Tories instead.
He said: ‘I have great faith in the British public. I don’t think the British public could be easily bought. I think they’ll decide at the next election who they think the best party is to run this country. And I think they’ll choose Conservatives.’
