Defiant Nigel Farage claims 12 Reform councillors who stop over Elon Musk row had been a part of ‘rogue department’ in fiery Newsnight alternate

A defiant Nigel Farage has claimed that the 12 Reform councillors who have given notice of their intention to resign were part of a ‘rogue branch’ in a fiery Newsnight exchange.

The 12 councilors – who hold two district council seats, nine town council seats and five parish council seats – are all from Derbyshire and include Alex Stephenson, who came second in Amber Valley during the general election.

The group alleged that the party was being run in an ‘increasingly autocratic manner’ and accused Farage of ‘disloyalty’ to long-term members, as well as saying that Reform has ‘lost its sense of direction’.

Earlier this week, Farage lashed out at US politicians for supporting the ‘thuggish’ Tommy Robinson as he tried to mend his relationship with Elon Musk.

Mr Musk on Sunday called for Mr Farage to be replaced as Reform leader, saying he is ‘not up to the job’, after he refused to follow the X owner and Donald Trump aide in calling for Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – to be freed.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Farage claimed that the councillors were put forward by a ‘rogue branch’ of the party and none had passed their vetting stages.

It was also found that Stevenson, the Derbyshire group’s leader, was suspended as a member of the party pending an internal investigation in December.

‘We had a rogue branch putting people up and I think you’ll find, in many cases, there will have to be by-elections because they were not legitimately put forward,’ Farage told the news organisation. 

‘Apparently one of them shared a Tommy Robinson post a few years ago. We have got no issue with that.’

He went on to say that the councillor in question, who he did not name, was a ‘good bloke’.

In a statement first shared by the Guardian, the group said: ‘We believe that the current party management is either incompetent or malevolent and we have lost all confidence in the leadership and its structures.’

Zia Yusuf, chairman of Reform UK, also tweeted in response: ‘The leader of this group of “councillors” was suspended weeks ago by Reform for: 1) nominating candidates that failed vetting. 2) fraudulently nominating candidates with an invalid DNO certificate. 

‘As a result of (2), several of these ‘councillors’ are illegitimate and new elections must be held.

‘Reform stands for the highest standards in public life, and those who commit fraud will always be expelled.’

American multi-billionaire Musk has spent the past week fixated on UK politics, specifically over British Asian sex abuse gangs in northern towns.

Speaking to LBC radio on January 7, Mr Farage said that while he wanted to ‘mend fences’ with Musk at Trump’s inauguration later this month, supporting Robinson was not going to happen. 

‘Many of my American friends have seen one side of the Robinson story. He says he is in prison for exposing the grooming gangs and they go “oh my goodness me, this is dreadful, he is a political prisoner”,’ he said.

‘The fact is he has been in prison many times over the years – three times for contempt of court – and once he almost brought down a trial at which gang rapists were ultimately convicted.

‘I am on a campaign in America at the moment to educate people as to just who Tommy Robinson really is.’ 

Asked if the government agreed with Mr Farage the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘It is absolutely the case that, as the PM said, those who are cheerleading Tommy Robinson are not interested in delivering justice for victims.

‘It is important that people know that he went to prison for nearly collapsing a grooming case, so people who are cheerleading his cause are acting actively against delivering for the victims that the PM is interested in delivering for.’

Speaking during the phone-in, the Reform leader said he would be in the United States ‘for a good sort of four or five days’ for Donald Trump’s inauguration as president.

‘I have no desire to go to war with Elon Musk and I’m not going to, and I haven’t done. I’m a huge admirer of him, I think he’s an heroic figure,’ Mr Farage said.

Asked whether losing his support would weaken Reform UK, he added: ‘Not having Elon’s support would damage us with that younger generation because he kind of makes us look cool, so I’m being frank about that and I am confident that whatever has been said, we can mend. I really think we can.’

He added: ‘It’s not crucial. I mean look, if I was to embrace, as it looks like I was being urged to do, the sort of violent thuggish people like (Tommy) Robinson, that would do our party immense harm, and probably rightly so.

‘So the fact that I’ve stood up on a point of principle, even if in the short term its to my detriment, in the long run may even work in our favour.

‘Of course I want his support, of course I will talk to him in America in a few days’ time, of course I want to mend any broken fences that might exist. I’m sure we can do it.’

The Reform leader also said Musk’s description of Home Office minister Jess Phillips as a ‘rape genocide apologist’ did not go ‘beyond the line’.

The Reform UK leader said he did not ‘concur’ with the description.

But asked if he would address Mr Musk’s comments about Ms Phillips when he met the billionaire, Mr Farage said: ‘If he was inciting violence, then that would be going beyond the line at which free speech is acceptable.

‘It’s very, very strong language and it offends many, but then free speech should be able to offend many.’

Suggesting the language was chosen because Americans are ‘horrified’ by reports of child sexual exploitation in the UK, he added: ‘You may find it offensive, I don’t think it goes beyond the line.’