July 13, 2026 — 3:30amLondon: British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson is caught in a new controversy after revelations he flew to Moscow with support from Elon Musk’s family foundation, just as he befriends One Nation leader Pauline Hanson during her visit to the UK.Critics described Robinson as a “useful idiot” for the Russian government after Musk’s father said the foundation had paid for Robinson to visit Moscow early last month.Tommy Robinson has a history of stalking and inciting violence.Getty ImagesMusk’s father, Errol, told The Guardian that he had arranged for Robinson to go to Russia and that the visit had been funded by the Musk Foundation, a non-profit set up by the billionaire and his brother, Kimbal.The news heightened the arguments about ties between right-wing groups and the Kremlin, given the way some leaders on the right have praised Russian President Vladimir Putin at some points over the past decade.Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a large following in Britain after years of criticising Muslims and calling for a halt to migration. But he has a chequered personal history of bankruptcy and threatening behaviour.He has been convicted of crimes including assault and fraud.Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the news about the funding for the trip to Russia suggested Robinson was a threat to democracy.“Tommy Robinson is a useful idiot for a hostile state,” Davey posted on X, the social media platform owned by Musk and his company, SpaceX.“What kind of so-called British patriot jets to Moscow to rub shoulders with Putin’s cronies, bankrolled by a US trillionaire?” Davey asked.“We must protect our democracy from far-right thugs, shady tech bros and foreign interference.”The head of progressive advocacy group Hope Not Hate, Nick Lowles, described Robinson as a traitor, saying: “Once again he’s siding with Russia over Britain.”A picture of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson talking to Tommy Robinson, posted by Robinson on X.X/@TRobinsonNewEraRobinson did not respond to the criticism and posted instead about his time with Hanson, including a visit they made together to his home town of Luton, north of London, to discuss what he portrayed as its decline as a result of migration.The One Nation leader also spoke with Robinson on his weekly podcast, as well as meeting other right-wing figures in Britain ahead of her appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in London later this week.A podcast with Robinson helped trigger the departure of television host Karl Stefanovic from the Nine Network last month. Some critics panned Stefanovic for effusively praising Robinson without asking any challenging questions during the personal podcast.Robinson has been shunned by right-wing populist leader Nigel Farage, the head of Reform UK, because of his hard-line views and his criminal convictions. He has support, however, from Rupert Lowe, a member of the House of Commons who quit Reform to set up his own party, Restore Britain.European conservatives have been caught in a series of controversies over Putin for more than a decade, as some right-wing groups praised the Russian leader even when he was being blamed for “hybrid warfare” against western democracies and outright war against Ukraine.Farage said in 2014 he admired Putin as a political operator but not as a human being. He has toughened his language since then, saying last October that Putin was a “very bad dude” and the West should take a harder line against Russia on defence.Hanson praised Putin in 2017, three years after Russia seized the Crimea from Ukraine and supplied the missiles used to shoot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17.“I respect the man. He is very patriotic towards his country, the people love him, he is doing so well for the country. So many Australians here want that leadership here in Australia,” she told the ABC’s Insiders program in March that year.In Germany, right-wing leader Alice Weidel, whose Alternative For Germany (AfD) party is leading in national polls, has called for an improvement in ties with Russia and an end to bans on Russian oil and gas. Senior AfD member Markus Frohnmaier visited Russia last month.In France, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is planning to run for the presidency next year but has been likened to Putin in the past. She met Putin in Moscow in 2017, just before the French election campaign that year, and again in 2022, just before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After the invasion, however, Le Pen condemned Russia for its actions.The Musk family’s relations with Moscow have been complicated. Errol Musk has visited Moscow several times over the past year, most recently to attend an economic forum in June, when he also met Robinson.“I see Putin as a calm leader and I listen to what he says. Everything he says makes sense to me,” Errol Musk said in an interview reported by Russian state media service TASS last year.Elon Musk, however, is at odds with Moscow over the war in Ukraine when his company, Starlink, also part of SpaceX, provides communications for the Ukrainian military.Russian forces have sought to jam Starlink. Last year, during a Russian assault on the city of Kherson, Musk is said to have ordered a shutdown of the satellite service to prevent Russia using it.Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.From our partners