'He's A Hero': Nigel Farage Praises Elon Musk Despite Rape Comments

Nigel Farage has described Elon Musk as “a hero” amid the mounting backlash to his attacks on the government over its response to the child grooming scandal.

The X owner used his social media platform to accuse Keir Starmer of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” and described safeguarding minister Jess Phillips as a “rape genocide apologist” who should be jailed.

His comments came after Phillips turned down a request from Oldham Council for there to be a government-led inquiry into grooming gangs in the town.

Musk has suggested that Phillips was trying to protect the prime minister, who he accused of failing to prosecute the gangs when he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC 1 this morning, Reform UK leader Farage repeatedly refused to criticise Musk, who is reportedly preparing to make a large donation to this party.

Kuenssberg asked him: “Elon Musk seems to be very busy making these very provocative claims about British politicians. He says Keir Starmer was ‘complicit in the rape of Britain’ , he said that Jess Phillips was a ‘rape genocide apologist’.

“This afternoon he said that she’s ‘a wicked witch’, that she is ‘pure evil’. Is it acceptable for somebody with Elon Musk’s platform to say those kind of things?”

Farage said: “Those on the left have thrown those sorts of jibes at those on the right for many, many decades and will go on doing so.

“If it turns out that Keir Starmer as Director of Public Prosecutions did, in effect, not prosecute a case for fear of what it would do to community relations, for fear that it would provoke the charge of racism, then he is open to be criticised.

“And by the way, the fact that Musk supports me and supports Reform, doesn’t mean as two grown-ups we have to agree with everything the other says.”

But Kuenssberg told him: “There is a difference, is there not, between expressing a view and circulating claims to millions of people, with a megaphone that Musk has, that are misleading and offensive?

“Saying that someone was complicit in the rape of the country. ”

Farage replied: “I don’t know what happened in 2008. Let’s find out.”

Kuenssberg then asked: “So you think it’s acceptable for somebody to say that the British prime minister was complicit in the rape of the country?”

Farage replied: “I believe in free speech, even if what people say is offensive.”

Later in the interview, the Reform UK leader insisted his refusal to condemn Musk was because he is planning to give the party a lot of money.

He said: “I think I’ve made it perfectly clear that I don’t agree with everything he says, but I do believe in free speech.

“I think he’s a hero, and I said that well before any money was offered.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting had earlier described Musk’s attack on Phillips as “a disgraceful smear of a great woman”.