Elon Musk turns on Nigel Farage as tech billionaire brands him 'liar' over money offer claims

Elon Musk has accused Nigel Farage of "lying" in an extraordinary public showdown after the Reform UK leader claimed he had turned down the tech billionaire's cash. The bitter falling-out spilled into the open after Mr Farage insisted he "cannot be bought" by anyone. He claimed he had rejected money from the world's richest man in exchange for saying "certain things". Hitting back on his own social media platform X, Musk claimed simply: "Farage is lying." The two had a very public falling out last year, with the Tesla and X owner claiming Mr Farage "didn't have what it takes" to lead the party. Before that, there had been rumours that Mr Musk would be making substantial donations to Reform UK - which subsequently did not happen. What did Farage say about Elon Musk's money? The Reform leader claimed in an interview with The Sun that Mr Musk had attempted to use financial incentives to shape his public comments. "I cannot be bought by anybody," he said. "No, not anyone. Not even Elon Musk...he wanted to give us a load of money if I said certain things publicly, and I refused." He went on to say: "I didn't do it. I didn't do it. So I made an enemy of Elon Musk, but that shows you I'm my own man, I make my own mind up." Mr Musk's responded with a three-word rebuttal on X, claiming: "Farage is lying." He did not elaborate on what particular details he disputes. The Mirror has reached out to Reform UK for comment. How did it come up? Mr Farage made the comments as he faced questions about a £5m gift he was given by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. The Clacton MP is currently under investigation by Parliament's Standards Commissioner over the seven-figure sum, which he accepted from the Thailand-based billionaire in 2024. The money was gifted shortly before Mr Farage announced he was standing for Parliament in the general election . Reform has described the money as an "unconditional gift". In an interview with The Telegraph last month, he said he used the money to pay for his security. But he told The Sun: "This (the £5m from Mr Harborne) was given to me an unconditional basis, a completely unconditional basis. But frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years." The cryptocurrency investor has pumped £12million into Reform's coffers, making him the party's biggest single donor. The Conservatives have argued the payment breaches strict parliamentary rules requiring gifts and donations received within 12 months of entering the Commons to be declared. What else did Mr Farage say about his finances? On the subject of his wider finances, Farage said the public "don't care" about his outside earnings - highlighting that he waives all Parliamentary expenses. And he dismissed questions surrounding the £2million he has amassed in outside earnings since taking his Commons seat. He claimed his Clacton constituents had told him simply: "Good luck to you, mate." Since entering Parliament, Mr Farage has declared hundreds of thousands of payments - including nearly £409,000 from GB News, £124,000 from filming Cameo videos and £226,200 plugging gold bullion. Mr Farage has also clocked up nearly £139,000 from speaking engagements - and logged more than £2million in gifts and payments on top of his £98,599 per year salary as an MP. But the wider public do not see this as a problem, he claimed. He said: "People in Clacton (his constituency) say 'good luck to you mate'. They don't care. "They care if you're a crook, which I'm not, I never have been. But the fact that I made a few quid doing things just doesn't worry people at all." What did Nigel Farage say about the investigation? Farage was defiant. "I'm utterly confident. I've got good lawyers, good accountants. I've done nothing wrong in any way at all. We're entirely confident," he said. Farage drew comparisons with his tenure as an MEP in Brussels, during which he faced five separate fraud investigations. "They drag it on for years. Listen, I'm not in the least bit worried about it," he said.