Farage posted the photograph on X, Musk's social media platform, with the message: "Britain needs Reform" -- to which Musk replied, "Absolutely."
Credit: X/@Nigel_Farage
As preparations for President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House continue at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, several political leaders from other countries have made pilgrimages there to share tactics and learn from his victory.
On Tuesday, Nigel Farage, the British politician who is an ally of Trump and the leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, became the latest to do so, sharing an image on social media that showed him at the resort with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
That fueled speculation that Musk was intent on building up Britain's populist, insurgent political force, which is emerging as a threat to the Labour government and the leading opposition party, the Conservatives.
Farage posted the photograph on X, Musk's social media platform, with the message: "Britain needs Reform" -- to which Musk replied, "Absolutely."
Also pictured, standing in front of a portrait of a youthful Trump alongside Musk, was Nick Candy, a former donor to the Conservative Party, who was announced last week as Reform's new treasurer and is tasked with helping raise funds for the party.
Farage has been a long-standing supporter of Trump, sharing an admiration for the president-elect with Musk, who has been named to help lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.
In posts on X, the social media company of which he owns a majority share, Musk has been highly critical of the British government, led by Keir Starmer of the Labour Party, and has suggested that Reform could win the next British election, which is not expected to take place before 2028.
British news media reports have suggested that Musk could offer a multimillion-dollar donation to Reform, although Farage has said that no donation had been requested or offered.
In a statement Tuesday, Reform said that Farage and Candy had "learned a great deal from Musk about the Trump ground game" during an hourlong meeting Monday and that they would hold "ongoing discussions on other areas."
In an interview with The Sunday Times of London before the meeting, Candy said that he wanted to learn how the U.S. presidential election had been won.
In the general election that took place in July, Farage's party won five seats in the British Parliament but captured 14% of the national vote, a significant proportion that underlined the threat he poses to the country's two main parties.
And Reform's poll ratings have pushed higher in recent weeks as Starmer's government has faced a turbulent start.
As well as hoping to take votes from Labour in the north of England, Farage is hoping to supplant the Conservatives as the main source of right-wing opposition.
As a foreign national, Musk cannot make personal political donations in Britain, but private companies that operate in the country can do so under British rules, meaning donations could potentially be made via X or Tesla, his electric vehicle company.