Did Elon Musk light the fuse between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe? Inside the 'big moment' no one saw coming

How did we get here? 

Farage told The Telegraph at the weekend that Lowe's suspension was the culmination of several alleged “outbursts”, “inappropriate language” and ability to “to fall out with all his parliamentary colleagues in one way or another”.

He cited a tense exchange the MP had with Mike Kane, the Transport Minister, in the chamber of the House of Commons just as Parliament was about to enter the Christmas recess.

However, other figures in Reform's orbit offer an alternative explanation for the rift: Musk's unexpected foray into the party's internal politics the following month.

High-profile figures in the party's orbit say the X owner's tweet was the straw that broke the camel's back

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On January 5, the X owner tweeted: “The Reform party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”

The tweet was an apparent reference to Farage distancing Reform UK from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, a jailed far-right activist, amid the revival of interest in the grooming gang scandal.

Responding to a suggestion that Rupert Lowe could take over, Musk wrote: “I have not met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I have read so far make a lot of sense.”

This endorsement thrust the hitherto obscure MP for Great Yarmouth into the spotlight, leading to increased media attention and scrutiny of his political positions.

It also set the stage for a potential disagreement between Farage and Lowe in terms of the party's direction of travel, with the Reform leader, increasingly mindful of getting his party elected, toned down language that might put off moderate voters while the MP for Great Yarmouth signalled to Reform's base, which played well with Musk.

For example, Lowe's forthright comments about illegal immigrants were well received by the X owner but less so by Farage.

Writing on X, Lowe recently said: “We need to get real. Honestly, every single one of these fake asylum seekers needs to be immediately deported."

In response to this, Musk simply wrote: “Yes”.

Farage, by contrast, has said it is “a political impossibility to deport hundreds of thousands of people”.

Reform UK's former deputy leader Ben Habib is among those tracing the current row back to Musk's brazen intervention in January.

Musk's endorsement thrust the hitherto obscure MP for Great Yarmouth into the spotlight

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Speaking to GB News on Monday, he said: "When Elon Musk endorsed Rupert Lowe that put a target on his back."

Habib, who was sacked by Nigel Farage in July 2024, added: "That was the beginning of the end of Rupert being in the party."

Party insiders counter that Habib has an axe to grind, but prominent members of the Reform have also cited this tweet as the turning point.

Boris Johnson's former adviser, Tim Montgomerie, who defected to Reform in December last year, after 33 years as a Tory, has described Musk's suggestion that Lowe should be the leader as a "big moment".

With the debate over what lit the fuse set to continue, here's a timeline of the events that followed Elon Musk's tweet:

January 5, 2025: Elon Musk weighs in on Reform's internal politics

• Musk tweets: “The Reform party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes."
• Responding to a suggestion that Rupert Lowe could take over, Musk writes: “I have not met Rupert Lowe, but his statements online that I have read so far make a lot of sense."

January 6, 2025: Rupert Lowe backs Farage despite Musk’s endorsement

• Lowe responds to Musk’s comments, thanking him but reaffirming support for Farage.
• He told the BBC: “I thank Elon for his kind comments. I just want to do what is right for my constituency and my country - that is my only interest. Nigel is leader of Reform. I look forward to working with Nigel and the entire team to continue to hold this incompetent Labour Party to account, democratise our own party, win the next election and form a Reform government."

January 6, 2025, Nigel Farage responds to the Lowe's potential as a leader

March 6, 2025: Rupert Lowe’s Interview with Andrew Pierce escalates tensions

• In an interview with Andrew Pierce for the Daily Mail, Lowe publicly questions Farage’s leadership and Reform UK’s organizational structure, signaling growing tensions.
• The Reform MP accuses Farage of being a "messianic figure who is at the core of everything but he has to learn to delegate", adding that "we have to change from being a protest party led by the Messiah into being a properly structured party with a frontbench".

March 7, 2025: Reform UK suspends Lowe over allegations of bullying and threats

• Reform UK announces the suspension of Rupert Lowe, stripping him of the party whip, citing allegations of bullying and threats of physical violence against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
• A statement from chair Zia Yusuf and chief whip Lee Anderson MP also said the party has received complaints from two female employees about alleged serious bullying in Mr Lowe's offices.
• The suspension comes just one day after Lowe’s critical interview, leading to speculation of retaliation. Reform appoints a King’s Counsel (KC) to investigate the bullying claims independently.

March 7, 2025: Lowe denies Allegations, calls it a “Witch hunt”

• Lowe responds via social media and statements, denying the allegations and accusing Farage and the party leadership of targeting him for his criticisms.

March 8, 2025: Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe trade blows in The Sunday Telegraph

• Both Farage and Lowe publish articles in The Sunday Telegraph, intensifying their war of words.
• On Lowe’s behavior, Farage wrote that “far too many similar outbursts [have occurred] and that "Reform UK has a duty of care to every single member of staff, whether they are employed by us directly or indirectly".
• Lowe insisted that there is "no credible evidence against me" and that his suspension was a "cowardly act that undermines our entire cause".

March 9, 2025: Richard Tice attempts to mediate, Lowe hits back

• Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice appears on BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” to defend the suspension, while Lowe continues to fight back.
• He told Kuenssberg: “The sad reality is Rupert has been doing some great work but there have been too many instances where actually we’ve seen a different character. The anxieties that we had had over Rupert’s behaviour, regrettably, had been going on for some time just before the Christmas parliamentary break."
• Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice also gets a grilling over the timing of Lowe's suspension by GB News host Camilla Tominey.
• Lowe hits back at Tice: “It is so disappointing to hear these falsehoods from a friend. If these allegations were so serious, why only remove me from the party the day after I raised reasonable concerns around Reform’s leadership?

March 10, 2025: Escalating war of words continues

• The feud remains unresolved, with Lowe calling it a “vindictive witch hunt” and Farage standing firm. Former Brexit Party MEPs rally to Lowe’s defense, claiming he was a team player during their time together.
• “A vindictive witch hunt. [Reform is] maliciously attempting to drag my name through the mud with zero credible evidence against me. All because I dared to pose a few reasonable questions of Reform’s leadership," Lowe said in a statement on X.