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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed it would be “counterproductive” if Nigel Farage accepted a large donation from Elon Musk, saying: “People don’t necessarily like to see politics bought off.”
BadenochMay, who has been criticized by some Conservatives for her low-profile start in office, faces a growing political threat from Farage's populist Reform Party. Farage was speaking to the tech billionaire about donating to the party.
The Conservative leader said she supports the competition, adding: “I think if Elon Musk is giving a rival party money, it's a challenge for me to make sure I raise the same amount.”
Nick Candy, the New Reform treasurer, promised Britain “political turmoil like we have never seen before”. He told the Financial Times He was lined up with several other billionaire backers in addition to Musk.
Referring to Musk, Badenoch said: “I don’t think he would give that money away, but it doesn’t matter if he did.”
She added: “Politics in the US is very different from politics in the UK. People in this country don't necessarily like to see politics bought. “I think it would probably backfire.”
Last week, Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffiths urged Musk to accept this Another look at conservatives He accepted the donation to reform, saying his party was the most effective opposition to Sir Keir Starmer's Labor government.
Badenoch became Conservative leader on November 2, and it has now been almost six months since the Conservatives lost the general election to Labour, but she has so far refused to set out specific policies to revive her party.
But she insisted it was a “marathon, not a sprint” and urged voters to be patient, saying she had plenty of time to prepare a detailed policy bulletin before the election, which must be held by 2029.
However, Badenoch faces a tough battle in the short term, with the UK Reform Party closing in on the Conservatives In recent opinion polls And the threat of significant progress at the expense of the Conservatives in the local elections scheduled for May next year.
The Conservative leader accused the Reform Party of offering voters “easy answers” and said he had “not fully thought through the matter.” She told the BBC today Program: “What I would say to people is, aren't you tired of people lying to you?”
The Conservative leader laid out general principles that her party should follow, including belief in a smaller state, lower taxes, and tightening control on immigration.
“I'm thinking, and what people will get with the new leadership under me is thoughtful conservatism, not knee-jerk analysis,” Badenoch said.
She admitted the Conservatives had “let people down” on immigration, suggesting the Whitehall machine or official forecasters had persuaded ministers to ease controls.
Net migration exceeded 900,000 people in one year under the Conservatives, according to recent figures. Badenoch has called for a cap on overall numbers but declined to say where it should be set.
“I think things are going well,” Badenoch said of her first weeks as Conservative leader. “I expected it to be a lot worse.” She said that the party “dropped the tools of brutal war.”
“Seeing a Labor government reminds everyone who the real opponent is,” Badenoch added.
