Nigel Farage hit out at Donald Trump ally Elon Musk with a seven-word barb related to the Tesla founder's comments that he should be ousted as Reform UK leader. "Nobody pushes me around — not even him”, the arch-Brexiteer told The Times. The public spat between the pair started when South African-born Mr Musk, who has been running President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) since January, said on X that Mr Farage "doesn't have what it takes" to lead Reform UK.

It came after Mr Musk publicly backed Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. Responding to Mr Musk's call for him to quit, Mr Farage wrote on X: "Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles."

The GB News presenter called for “net zero immigration” as his solution to the country's ills.

But asked if he meant mass deportations akin to those ordered by the US President, the Reform UK leader insisted: “Australian – Tony Abbott-style. They had the boat problem, coming from Indonesia.

“They grappled with it for years. Tony just towed the boats back to Indonesia. End of.”