Reform UK’s new treasurer has said Elon Musk would be willing to help the party following a personal conversation with the social media tycoon.
Nick Candy, the former Tory mega-donor, has promised a “seven-figure sum” to help Nigel Farage’s party before the next election – but has admitted any Musk cash injection would need to be “within the rules and regulations”.
The 51-year-old says he wants to learn from controversial billionaire Musk, saying he “knows how to get things done.”
Candy made a point of highlighting that while Musk is “legally allowed to donate through his companies that are registered in the UK… whether that’s Tesla or whether that’s X” he added it would need to be done “within the rules and regulations.”
Nick Candy is understood to have spoken with Musk
PA/GETTY
Speaking to the Times, Candy hailed Musk’s role in helping Trump to win the seven swing states that decided the US presidency, particularly Pennsylvania.
He said: “I want to understand how he got those people out in Pennsylvania. I want to learn from him, so I can learn from the ground game.”
Musk had previously rejected reports he was planning to give Reform £80million. However, Candy said the billionaire was willing to help.
Following a conversation with the billionaire, Candy added: “I don’t want to go too much into the personal side of it…But he, I think, would like to help Nigel and Reform and myself.”
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Elon Musk speaks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
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The former Tory voter, who is married to pop singer and Reform UK supporter Holly Valance, has travelled through the British political spectrum, having voted for Labour in 1997 under Tony Blair, someone whom he considers a personal friend.
He then switched to the Tories in 2009, having been impressed by David Cameron, whom he helped “at the beginning” with £70,000 in donations.
Later, he became close friends with Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, giving £270,000 to the Tories during his time as leader. However, Candy says that after Johnson was toppled in 2022 he became increasingly fed up with the Tories and what he sees as the abandonment of traditional conservative values.
While he conceded he was not close personally with current leader Kemi Badenoch, he called her “continuity Kemi” and said her victory among Tory members showed the party was “too scared to make the right decision” and elect a leader on the right who is serious about tackling immigration.
Candy with pop singer wife, Holly Valance
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Candy spoke about his “despair” at of the state of the country, adding he spends much of his time in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
He said: “You don’t need to worry about crime, security, infrastructure, and it’s a great quality of life. They’ve got a can-do attitude of getting things done…I cherish the values we grew up with here in the West. But today you are more likely to find the values we grew up with in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
Candy was also dismal about the next four years under Labour, saying: “I’m ready to leave…But I said to Nigel, I’ll give it one last go and I’ll try to help you raise all the money.”
