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Conservative shadow minister Andrew Griffith urged Elon Musk to look again at the Tories before donating to Reform UK, highlighting his party’s low-tax and anti-woke credentials.

The Tesla billionaire discussed the idea of ​​a Reform donation at a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Monday with party leader Nigel Farage and its new treasurer Nick Candy, a property tycoon, according to Farage.

The prospect of a huge donation from the world’s richest man to Farage’s populist right-wing party has sparked alarm within the Conservatives, who fear a defeat for Reform at the next general election in UK.

Griffith described Musk as a “very talented businessman” with interests in the UK concerned about issues such as freedom of speech, or what he called the “woke mind virus”.

“I would say to him (Musk) or to Nick, look at what the Conservative party is doing,” Griffith told the Financial Times in an interview on Wednesday. He argued that the Tories were the best vehicle for opposition to Sir Keir Starmer’s Labor government.

“If you’re serious about providing opposition to this socialist government, which many people think is a threat to free speech, actually, you know, have a proper look at the whole menu before jumping in in any particular course,” said Griffith.

The shadow business secretary highlighted his role when he was City minister last year in helping people, including Farage, who said they were refused bank accounts because of their political views.

He also took aim at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s criticism of the now-closed NHS Tavistock clinic for baby gender identity.

Musk’s hopes of backing Reform came into focus this week as he, Farage and former Tory donor Candy were pictured together in a tweet by the Reform leader. Farage posted the photo on Tuesday with the comment: “Britain Needs Reform”. Musk responded to the post: “Absolutely”.

Griffith declined to comment on whether he actively wanted Musk, a prominent ally of Donald Trump, to donate to the Conservative party, saying that was not part of his role.

But the shadow business secretary said he had spoken to senior figures in the incoming Trump administration in Washington and shared their views on finding ways to spend taxpayers’ money more wisely.

“I’m not going to pretend I’m running to Mar-a-Lago and tweeting about it, but I spent a week in Washington talking to people in and around the potential administration and what’s going to happen in government efficiency,” he said. .

Also on Wednesday, a spokesman for Badenoch said the Tory leader was “a big fan of Elon Musk and what he’s doing with X”.

Badenoch supports the principle of a British version of the “Doge”, Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to be headed by Musk, his spokesman added. The advisory unit is aimed at cutting through bureaucracy.

The recently elected opposition leader “believes there is too much regulation and generally our first response is more government” in Britain, Badenoch’s spokesman added.

He did not put a figure on the amount of spending Badenoch would cut under a UK efficiency programme, but said: “There is fat to be cut.”

Downing Street declined to comment on Musk’s vocal opposition to Starmer. The prime minister’s spokesman said Starmer had “made it very clear that we look forward to working with President Trump and his entire administration”.