Farage accuses Musk of trying to split right (Image: Getty)
Elon Musk and the leader of Reform UK are engaged in a bitter row over the latter’s support of Nigel Farage’s rival party, Restore Britain.
It comes as recent polling suggests Restore could take 7% of the vote in the crucial Makerfield by-election, with figures close to Rupert Lowe, the party’s leader, saying it could be much higher.
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Now Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has accused the world’s richest man, the billionaire Elon Musk, of trying to divide the right in the UK by supporting Mr Lowe.
Restore Britain has fielded a candidate in the knives-edge Makerfield by election, and is standing on a series of policies including mass remigration and increasing the availability of energy.
The tech-tycoon shared a post by Mr Lowe on his social media platform X, on the subject of the by-election, accompanied by the comment: “Restore Britain.”
It prompted furious backlash from Mr Farage, who was once supported by Mr Musk before a spat between Mr Lowe – then one of his MPs – led to his ejection from Reform UK.
The SpaceX and social media platform owner then disavowed ReformUK and threw his support behind Mr Lowe’s outfit.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Farage said Andy Burnham – the Labour candidate for the seat – would be “delighted”.
He said: “Elon Musk has decided he will try to split the Right of British politics as best he can. This is supporting a party that’s one man with a social media account. Quite what he’s trying to achieve, I have no idea.”
Lowe says Musk backing shows establishment losing (Image: Getty)
Mr Lowe shared on the social media platform that his party was “under brutal assault” by the establishment who “want us gone”.
“They’ve already tried to put me in prison. It will all keep coming and coming. It is going to get a lot worse, the more support we gain. The establishment is getting very nasty with us. Good. It shows we are making progress,” he added.
Responding to Mr Musk’s support, Mr Lowe said: “Elon Musk backing Restore Britain sends a clear message that real change is possible and the establishment is losing control. Makerfield will show Britain the way. We’re not here to patch up a broken system, we are here to restore our country.”
Elon Musk and Nigel Farage in bitter row as billionaire backs rival Restore Britain party
Elon Musk’s intervention in British politics has opened a striking new split on the political right, with Nigel Farage publicly warning that the billionaire’s support for rival party Restore Britain could divide voters who might otherwise back Reform UK.
The dispute centres on Rupert Lowe, the former Reform MP who established Restore Britain after his increasingly bitter falling-out with Farage and the Reform leadership.
Musk has publicly backed Lowe’s new party, using his enormous following on X to promote Restore Britain. Farage, meanwhile, has argued that such intervention risks splitting the right-wing vote at precisely the moment when Reform is attempting to expand its parliamentary presence.
The disagreement is about more than personalities.
It reflects a deeper struggle over who represents voters seeking a tougher approach to immigration, political reform and the role of the British state.
Musk chooses Lowe’s side
Restore Britain was founded in February 2026 by Lowe after his departure from Reform.
Musk subsequently became one of the party’s most prominent external supporters.
YouGov’s research into Restore’s supporters found that the party had been polling at around 3-4 per cent nationally during the period studied. Its supporters were heavily motivated by immigration, with 90 per cent identifying it as one of the most important issues facing Britain.
The research also revealed an important difference between Restore and Reform voters.
While both groups shared many policy concerns, Restore supporters were considerably less likely to view Farage positively. Only 30 per cent of Restore supporters surveyed held a favourable opinion of Farage, while 67 per cent viewed him unfavourably.
By contrast, Rupert Lowe enjoyed extremely strong personal ratings among his own supporters, with 88 per cent saying they viewed him very favourably.
That suggests Restore’s appeal is not simply about policy.
It is also about rejecting Farage’s leadership of the British right.
Farage’s warning about vote splitting
Farage reacted angrily to Musk’s intervention.
Ahead of the Makerfield by-election, he warned that Musk’s support for Restore could “split the right”, arguing that the division could make it easier for Labour to retain the seat.
The concern was based on straightforward electoral arithmetic.
Under Britain’s first-past-the-post system, parties do not receive parliamentary seats in proportion to their national vote share.
A party can receive millions of votes but win relatively few constituencies if its support is spread across areas where another candidate finishes ahead.
That makes competition between Reform and Restore particularly significant.
If the two parties attract voters from the same political constituency, they can potentially divide that support between separate candidates.
The Guardian reported that Musk’s intervention was seen as a sign of the growing split between the two groups as Makerfield approached.
Makerfield became the first major test
The Makerfield by-election provided an early opportunity to examine the effect of the Reform-Restore rivalry.
Reform candidate Robert Kenyon had finished second in the constituency in the 2024 general election.
Burnham entered the by-election as Labour’s candidate, seeking to return to Westminster.
Polling before the election suggested a close contest.
One More in Common/UCL Policy Lab poll put Labour on 45 per cent, Reform on 40 per cent and Restore on 8 per cent.
Those figures immediately intensified the debate about whether Restore was potentially taking enough votes from Reform to influence the outcome.
But the final result was more complicated.
Burnham won with 54.8 per cent.
Reform secured 34.5 per cent, while Restore received 6.8 per cent.
Together, the two parties received 41.3 per cent — substantially below Burnham’s total.
The result therefore demonstrated that the presence of Restore did not, by itself, explain Labour’s victory.
It is impossible to know how Restore voters would have behaved if Lowe’s party had not contested the election.
Some might have voted Reform.
Others might have supported Labour, another candidate or stayed at home.
That makes any alternative result hypothetical.
The feud goes beyond Musk
The rivalry between Farage and Lowe has a long history.
Lowe was one of the five Reform MPs elected in 2024. He was later suspended by the party amid allegations concerning his treatment of staff and disagreements with senior Reform figures. Lowe denied the allegations.
He subsequently established Restore Britain.
The relationship between the two men has remained hostile.
In August, Lowe attempted to open the possibility of cooperation, calling on Farage to put their personal disagreements aside.
Lowe argued that Reform and Restore had enough common ground to work together on issues including immigration and government reform.
But Farage rejected the overture.
The exchange quickly turned into another public dispute, with both men accusing each other of acting in bad faith.
The episode demonstrated how difficult cooperation between the two organisations could be even when their policy positions overlap.
Restore is not simply another version of Reform
Despite their similarities, Restore has attempted to establish its own identity.
The party’s platform takes a particularly hard line on immigration and proposes substantial changes to Britain’s political and legal institutions.
Restore’s manifesto has included proposals for mass deportations and restrictions affecting legal migration, alongside other socially conservative policies.
That helps explain why Musk’s backing matters.
His support gives Lowe access to a huge international audience and provides Restore with visibility far beyond what a newly established British party might ordinarily receive.
It also creates political controversy.
Musk is not simply a wealthy businessman with no political interests. His interventions in British politics have increasingly attracted attention, particularly because of his use of X to promote candidates, movements and political causes.
His decision to support Lowe therefore gives Restore an unusual level of international exposure.
A new source of funding
Restore has also begun attracting substantial financial support from British donors.
In September, technology entrepreneur Simon Galbraith donated £500,000 to the party through two contributions of £250,000.
Galbraith said he believed Britain was suffering from an excessively centralised state and that Restore could bring about a major political change.
The donation is significant for a party founded only months earlier.
It is nevertheless considerably smaller than some of the sums raised by Reform UK.
The contrast illustrates the developing financial competition between the two parties.
Reform has attracted very large donations from wealthy individuals, while Restore is attempting to establish its own funding network.
The combination of donor support and Musk’s public endorsement means Lowe’s party is no longer merely a personal political vehicle operating on the margins of British politics.
It has become a more visible competitor for the same electoral territory.
Farage faces a changing political environment
The Musk dispute comes at a difficult time for Reform.
The party had previously led several national opinion polls, but its position weakened during the summer.
ITV reported in September that Reform had lost its polling lead while simultaneously facing the emergence of Restore, scrutiny over political donations and internal controversies. Labour, meanwhile, benefited from a “Burnham bounce” following Andy Burnham’s move into Downing Street.
Farage has nevertheless insisted that he intends to lead Reform into the next general election.
He has also argued that the next contest could become a direct choice between Labour and Reform.
That argument is partly a response to Restore.
If Farage can persuade voters that only Reform can become a major parliamentary force, he may reduce the incentive for voters to support Lowe.
But Restore’s continued existence makes that message more difficult to establish.
The Musk factor
Musk’s role adds another dimension.
Unlike an ordinary donor or activist, Musk has an enormous social-media audience and an established international political profile.
His endorsement can instantly expose a political figure to millions of people.
But visibility does not automatically translate into votes.
YouGov’s research suggests that Restore remained a relatively small party nationally during the summer, polling around 3-4 per cent.
The party’s challenge is therefore to convert attention into durable support across hundreds of constituencies.
That is considerably more difficult than generating headlines online.
Why Farage is concerned
Farage’s concern is ultimately about electoral fragmentation.
Reform is attempting to move from being a significant protest and populist force into a party capable of winning a much larger number of parliamentary seats.
To do that, it needs voters who currently support other parties.
But it also needs to prevent existing supporters from moving elsewhere.
Restore creates precisely that problem.
If even a relatively small percentage of voters switch from Reform to Restore in closely fought constituencies, the consequences could be significant under first-past-the-post.
The reverse is also possible.
If Restore attracts voters who would otherwise have supported Labour or the Conservatives, its presence could have different effects in individual constituencies.
There is therefore no universal rule that Restore’s participation will benefit one party.
Everything depends on the local distribution of support.
A rivalry with national consequences
The clash between Musk and Farage is consequently about more than two political personalities.
It represents a struggle over the future direction of Britain’s populist right.
Farage has an established party, parliamentary representation and a long history of campaigning.
Lowe has a newer organisation, a prominent billionaire backer and a political message designed to appeal to voters who believe Reform has become too established or insufficiently radical.
Musk’s intervention gives Lowe additional visibility.
Farage’s response shows that he regards the new party as a genuine electoral competitor.
The Makerfield result demonstrated both the potential importance and the limitations of that rivalry. Restore secured 6.8 per cent, while Reform won 34.5 per cent, but Labour still won the constituency with 54.8 per cent.
The result cannot tell us what would have happened without Restore.
What it does show is that a divided political field creates uncertainty that cannot be resolved simply by adding together the vote shares of parties with similar positions.
For Farage, the challenge is maintaining Reform’s support while confronting a rival with a powerful external backer.
For Lowe, the challenge is proving that Restore can build an independent electoral base rather than remaining primarily a vehicle for opposition to Farage.
And for Musk, his intervention has ensured that the rivalry is receiving international attention.
As Britain moves towards its next general election, the relationship between Reform and Restore could become an important feature of constituency contests.
Whether the two parties ultimately compete against each other, cooperate in selected areas or continue their current rivalry will depend on decisions by their respective leaderships.
For now, Musk’s backing of Restore has made one fact unmistakable: Nigel Farage no longer has uncontested ownership of the political space he has spent years building.