Speaking in the North West Essex constituency of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, Farage said his party was gaining in support and had targeted the traditionally safe Tory seat.

Badenoch and Farage clashed recently over party membership figures.

The Tory leader told reporters she was “not at all” worried about Farage’s rally, held at Parklands Quendon Hall, in Quendon, near Stansted Airport.

The Tory leader has a majority of 2,600 in the North West Essex seat, with Labour coming second and Reform 11,000 votes behind in third place at last year’s election.

For Reform UK to take the seat, it would need a massive swing of almost 17%.

In late December, Badenoch had disputed Reform’s claim that its membership had overtaken that of the Conservatives, accusing Farage of “fakery”.

Reform strongly denied the accusation and said it was considering legal action.

At the rally, Farage dismissed the prospect of a legal battle, and said the “next best thing was to come and visit and meet my fake members in the North West Essex constituency”.

Farage admitted “this is typical old Conservative territory”.

The constituency, which used to be called Saffron Walden, has been won by the Conservatives for 100 years.

Farage was elected MP for Clacton in north-east Essex in July – winning the seat from the Conservatives.

Ahead of the rally, Badenoch dismissed Reform UK as a “protest party”.

She told broadcasters she was “not at all” worried about Reform’s presence in her patch.

Farage spoke to a few hundred of his supporters seated in a hotel marquee festooned with fairy lights.

“I think also we’re beginning to see a wave that is crossing the Atlantic from the east coast of America,” he said.

“Donald Trump, standing on a platform many of whose policies were not dissimilar to what we put to the British people in that contract last July, has won this incredible victory and got off to the most amazing start.”

To applause and some cheers, he went on: “I hope and believe that many things that will happen in America will serve as an inspiration to us.”

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the rally, Farage said he has spoken to Elon Musk after the two clashed over different opinions on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Musk had said Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” and should be replaced as Reform UK leader.

Laughing, Farage said he told Musk “it’s not happening”.

“Elon’s a hero. He bought Twitter. He’s brought free speech back. He’s the most successful entrepreneur in the world. We agree on a lot. We may disagree on some things,” said Farage.

“Do you know what? I don’t get bullied; I don’t get pushed around, even by the richest man in the world. I have my particular view of Mr Robinson; he has a different one.”

But Farage told BBC Newsnight the councillors who had quit were put forward by a “rogue branch” of the party and that “none of them passed vetting”.

The Clacton MP also said he and Elon Musk had patched up their relationship after the tech billionaire posted on the X social media platform that Reform needed a new leader.

“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 Newsnight.

The Derbyshire group’s leader, Alex Stevenson, was suspended as a member pending an internal investigation in December.

The 10 signatories include Stevenson and nine others, who hold a mix of seats at county, town and parish level.Nine of the 10 appear to stand on Heanor and Loscoe Town Council in Derbyshire.

Stevenson, who stood for Reform UK in Amber Valley in the general election and came second, did not deny that some of the candidates he put forward for local elections had not passed the party’s vetting process.

“Apparently one of them shared a Tommy Robinson post a few years ago,” he told the BBC. “We have got no issue with that.”

He added the councillor in question, who he did not name, was a “good bloke”.

In a statement seen by the BBC, and first reported by the Guardian, the group added: “We believe that the current party management is either incompetent or malevolent and we have lost all confidence in the leadership and its structures.”

They said they had voted against the party’s constitution adopted in the autumn and that a “lack of internal democracy remains a significant issue”.

The signatories added: “We have seen no meaningful steps taken towards democratising the party, which we were promised.

“The councillors backed the party’s former co-deputy leader Ben Habib who they say was “unceremoniously sidelined”.

In a statement on X, Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s chairman said: “The leader of this group of ‘councillors’ was suspended weeks ago by Reform for nominating candidates that failed vetting [and] fraudulently nominating candidates with an invalid DNO [delegated nominating officer] certificate.

“As a result of [the latter], 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.”

Asked about Habib’s departure from the party, Farage told the BBC: “Good riddance”.

It comes after US tech billionaire Elon Musk said Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the party – but did not explain his reasoning.

Farage told Newsnight that Musk had wanted him to “come out strongly and support [former EDL leader] Tommy Robinson.”

“Whilst many things Tommy Robinson has said have been right and it’s wrong he’s in solitary confinement, I certainly don’t want Tommy Robinson in my party,” he said.

Refusing to disclose the contents of their “private conversation”, Farage said that he and Musk have since made up and “absolutely agree we don’t want to be at war with each other and have very similar aims”.

In a post on his social media site X, Musk said Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the party – but did not explain his reasoning.

Farage suggested this was due to a disagreement over Musk’s support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

He said Musk’s comment was “a surprise”, but that he would “never sell out my principles”.

The comment from the tech entrepreneur comes hours after Farage described Musk as a “friend” in an interview on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Musk has been a vocal supporter of Farage and his party, posting on X in December that Britain “absolutely” needs Reform UK.

But this week a rift emerged over Musk’s support for Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Robinson admitted in court to breaching an injunction against repeating claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy after losing a 2021 libel case.

In a social media post on Sunday in response to Musk’s comment, Farage said: “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.”Minutes after Farage made his statement, Musk posted on X: “Free Tommy Robinson now.”In the interview broadcast earlier on Sunday, Farage called Musk a “hero” who makes Reform UK “look cool”.

But he added that Musk’s support “doesn’t mean I have to agree with every single statement he makes on X”.

Farage said he planned to “have a conversation with (Musk) on a variety of things” – including Robinson – at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Farage has maintained close ties to Trump, who has given Musk a role in his administration.

The question now is whether Farage’s friendship with the president-elect is affected.

Farage founded Reform UK in 2018, then called the Brexit Party, and returned as the party’s leader before being elected as an MP in 2024.

In December, Farage, along with Reform’s new party treasurer Nick Candy, met Musk at Mar-a-Lago for an hour-long meeting, and began “open negotiations” about a donation to the party.Musk’s father Errol has suggested the SpaceX and Tesla mogul might even be prepared to become a UK citizen to make a $100m (£80.5 m) donation to Reform UK. Farage later said speculation about the figure was “for the birds”.

As a US citizen, Musk cannot make personal political donations in the UK – but could make one through the British branch of his company X.

For now, at least it seems the rumours of a large donation from Musk to Reform are on ice.Since his meeting with Farage, Musk has increasingly taken an interest in UK politics – focusing on criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Musk has spent the week amplifying calls by Reform UK and the Conservative Party for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

The calls came after the government turned down a request to conduct an inquiry into historical cases of sexual abuse in Oldham, saying the council should lead it instead.

This prompted Musk to accuse Sir Keir of failing to properly prosecute “rape gangs” while he was director of public prosecutions.

Musk also said Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison” and called her a “rape genocide apologist”.

Asked about Musk’s comments on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said the CEO had used “very tough terms, but that “free speech was back” on X under his ownership.

In 2022, an independent inquiry by Greater Manchester Combined Authority found that vulnerable children were left exposed to sexual exploitation in Oldham because of “serious failings” by the police and council.

The government has rejected the calls for a national inquiry, instead asking Oldham Council to set up its own. The previous Conservative government turned down a similar request in 2022.Phillips and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a letter to the Conservatives that the local authority had already started setting up an inquiry.

The letter also pointed to the 2022 Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which investigated abuse in care homes, churches, homes or by grooming gangs.

The report knitted several previous inquiries into grooming gangs together, including in Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford, alongside its own investigations.

Speaking on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government was prioritising “getting on with” implementing the report’s 20 recommendations to combat child sexual abuse.

The tech multi-billionaire added his voice to calls to release Yaxley-Lennon, who was jailed in October after admitting contempt of court by repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee.

Farage has been proud to show off the support of Musk, flying to Florida to meet the owner of social media site X, who helped President-elect Donald Trump win the US election.

But Musk’s support for Yaxley-Lennon is uncomfortable for Farage, who has made it clear over a number of years that he does not want him in his political party.

Speaking to Reform UK’s East Midlands conference in Leicester on Friday, Farage said Musk had “a whole range of opinions, some of which I agree with very strongly, and others of which I am more reticent about”.

Nevertheless, Farage described Musk as a “remarkable new entrant” into American politics.Musk, he said, was a “hero” for buying Twitter. “At least with Elon, we’ve got free speech back,” he added.Farage said: “Whether we like everything he says or not, he is a hero.”

With Musk said to be minded to give Reform UK a sizeable donation, Farage believes he remains “very helpful” to the party’s cause.

On Friday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting hit out at Musk’s attack on the government’s handling of grooming gangs, calling it “misjudged and certainly misinformed”.

Musk had posted a series of messages on X, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute gangs that systematically groomed and raped young girls, and calling for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to be jailed.

Asked about his comments, Streeting said the government took “the issue of child sexual exploitation incredibly seriously”.

The Tories have also criticised Musk for “sharing things that are factually inaccurate”.

The Reform UK leader said the pair “did talk about money” during a meeting on Monday at Donald Trump’s Florida retreat.

He added that the tech tycoon, who is a prominent supporter and major donor to Trump’s re-election campaign, was “fully, fully behind us”.

“He wants to help us, he’s not opposed to the idea of giving us money, provided we can do it legally through UK companies,” he added.

It is the first time Mr Farage has said his party is in talks about a potential donation from Mr Musk, the world’s richest person and the boss of X, Tesla and SpaceX.

Earlier this month, Farage said that although Mr Musk was a political supporter, he had not asked for a donation and “one has never been offered”.

Mr Musk has not commented on the possibility of a donation to Reform UK, which won four million votes and five seats July’s general election.

As a US citizen, he cannot make personal political donations in the UK.

But there have been reports suggesting a donation could be made through the British branch of X.

Speaking to BBC political editor Chris Mason, Farage said they “didn’t discuss specific numbers” when it came to a potential donation, adding the party was “in negotiations” over the matter.

But he added that speculation the billionaire could make a donation as large as $100m (£78m) was “for the birds”.

Farage has previously said the UK’s election watchdog “would take a view that a donation that came from a company would have to be proportional to the size of the company in this country”.

It comes after Reform UK said Farage, along with new party treasurer Nick Candy, met Mr Musk at Mar-a-Lago for an hour on Monday and had “learned a great deal from Musk about the Trump ground game”.

Farage posted a picture of himself on X alongside Mr Musk and Mr Candy, who was announced as party treasurer last week, standing in front of a painting of Trump that hangs inside the Mar-A-Lago complex.

He added “Britain needs Reform”, to which Mr Musk replied: “Absolutely”.

Reform UK thanked the US president-elect for allowing them to use the building for the meeting, adding it showed the “special relationship” between the UK and US was “alive and well”.

Mr Musk has become a prominent critic of Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and has backed Reform UK to form the next government in posts on his social media platform X.

Mr Musk, who was born in South Africa, donated $75m to US President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election bid, with $72m of that going to a political action committee he set up called America PAC.

Mr Musk’s father Errol has suggested the SpaceX and Tesla mogul might even be prepared to become a UK citizen to make a $100m donation to Reform UK.Earlier this month, he told GB News: “I’m eligible for British citizenship, so is he, I suppose.

“The government has committed to reviewing the rules on political donations in the UK, with Sir Keir’s spokesman telling reporters on Tuesday there would be a “relevant update in due course”.

Asked about the influence Musk could potentially wield in British politics, Farage told the BBC: “UK trading companies are allowed to give to British politics, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.”

He added that the possibility of the Labour government changing donation rules “shows you how worried they are” about Reform UK.