Elon Musk has said Reform UK needs a “new leader” because Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes”.

The X owner posted the tweet on Sunday following days of headlines over his comments about the historic grooming scandal that took place across UK towns and cities more than a decade ago.

Mr Musk, who has spoken positively about Reform UK on his social media platform and who met Mr Farage at the end of last year, has been highly critical of the government’s response and has argued the cases of child sex abuse were “covered up”.

His comments about Mr Farage will be embarrassing for Reform, who have been courting the billionaire and soon-to-be efficiency tsar of the incoming president-elect Donald Trump.

As recently as this morning, deputy leader Richard Tice claimed Mr Musk was “popular” with the British public and was “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history”, while Mr Farage described him as an “absolute hero figure”.

Mr Musk has increasingly taken an interest in UK politics and more recently the grooming scandal that saw young girls targeted by has singled out Sir Keir Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips for criticism, arguing that the prime minister failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice while he led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

And he said the “real reason” why Ms Phillips had rejected requests from Oldham Council for a government-led review into cases of child sexual exploitation in Oldham was because investigating it “would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”

Despite Mr Farage and the Conservatives both agreeing with Mr Musk’s calls for a national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal, a divide has emerged over the the tech tycoon’s support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Mr Musk has endorsed the far-right activist and claimed Robinson was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.

Yesterday at a Reform party conference, Mr Farage distanced himself from Robinson, saying the jailed activist was “not what we need”.

Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – admitted at Woolwich Crown Court in October to breaching an injunction banning him from repeating libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee schoolboy, after he was successfully sued for libel in 2021.

In 2018 Mr Farage quit UKIP, the party he used to lead, over its “fixation” with Islam and the decision of Gerard Batten, then its leader, to hire Robinson as an adviser.

Asked about Mr Musk’s support for Robinson, Mr Farage told GB News: “He sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs. But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court.”

Mr Farage was also asked whether he had spoken to the tech billionaire in recent days, to which he replied: “I haven’t spoken to him for some time, or a few days.

“He’s tweeting about everything. He’s tweeting about farming. He’s tweeting about Keir Starmer’s competence. He’s tweeting about Tommy Robinson. He’s tweeting about me. Reform UK.

“He has a whole range of opinions, some of which I agree with very strongly and others of which I’m more reticent about.”

Asked whether Mr Musk’s support for Robinson was “problematic” and potentially damaging for Reform, Mr Farage replied: “Having him as a supporter is very helpful to our cause.

“I mean, goodness me, I mean, he’s an absolute hero figure, particularly for young people in this country.

“Now everyone says, ‘Well, what about his comments on Tommy Robinson? But my position is perfectly clear on that. I never wanted Tommy Robinson to join UKIP. I don’t want him to join Reform UK – and he won’t be.”

Reform’s deputy leader has praised Elon Musk as “popular” and “appreciated” by the British public – as a government minister criticised the tech tycoon for “ridiculous” and “ill informed” comments on the UK grooming scandal.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Richard Tice defended the owner of X and Tesla as “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history”.

He said he was content to have Mr Musk, who is considering making a donation to Reform UK, support his party, adding: “He has a great interest in and the politics of this country and in the economy growing.”

It comes in contrast to the stance taken by Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who said he was “not interested” in what Mr Musk had to say on the grooming scandal that took place across a swathe of UK towns and cities more than a decade ago.

Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns in England – including Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford – over a decade ago in a national scandal that was exposed in 2013.

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The following year a report by Prof Alexis Jay revealed the scale of exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 – where around 1,400 girls were abused – and the failure of police and social services to intervene.

It was followed by the statutory Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), also chaired by Prof Jay, who found in her final report published in 2022 that children were still being sexually exploited by networks in all parts of England and Wales in the “most degrading and destructive ways”.

Mr Musk has suggested that safeguarding minister Jess Philips should be sent to prison for refusing a request from Oldham council for a national inquiry into the instances of child sexual exploitation that took place in the town.

Ms Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said that while she recognised the “strength of feeling” over the matter, she believed it was for “Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an inquiry into child sexual exploitation locally, rather than for the government to intervene”.

The tech billionaire has also turned his fire on the prime minister, claiming that while he was director of public prosecutions he failed to bring the “rape gangs” to justice.

He posted on X: “The real reason she’s [Ms Phillips] refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”

Asked about the comments, Mr Streeting said neither Ms Phillips nor Sir Keir needed “lectures” from Mr Musk.

“About the prime minister and about Jess Phillips, these are two politicians who have one thing in particular in common,” he said.

“Before they came into politics they have an actual record of banging up rapists, paedophiles and sex offenders, so they don’t need lectures from anyone else, particularly the Conservatives.”

He said Mr Musk’s comments were “a ridiculous thing to say”, “ill informed” and “not fair on either of their record”.

“I’m not interested in what he’s got to say about this,” he said. “I’m interested in what we’re doing as a government.”

Reform UK and the Conservatives have both called for a national inquiry into the scandal, with Mr Tice claiming there has been a “massive, massive cover up” of a “horrific grooming gangs scandal” by people of “mainly Pakistani heritage”.

“This has taken place over decades and authorities, care workers, police workers, the British establishment, senior politicians,” he told Sir Trevor.

“And may I say, the mainstream media have turned the other way. And there has been a sort of, ‘this doesn’t suit us because we want massive immigration, we want diversity, and this is inconvenient’. So we won’t explore it.”

Mr Streeting said “the reason we’re not doing another national inquiry is because there has already been a national inquiry”.

He pointed to the inquiry led by Prof Jay that reported in 2022 and said victims deserve the “full implementation” of that report, which recommended that institutions that work with children should be required by law to report suspicions of child sexual abuse.

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As well as criticising government figures, Mr Musk has also become a vocal supporter of Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Mr Musk endorsed the far-right activist and claimed Robinson was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.

Yesterday at a party conference Reform leader Nigel Farage distanced himself from Robinson, saying the jailed activist was “not what we need”.

Asked about Mr Musk’s support for Robinson, Mr Farage told GB News: “He sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs. But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court.”