Tommy Robinson Claims Elon Musk Is Backing His £200,000 Legal Fees in Harassment Trial

Tommy Robinson appeared in court on Monday, 19 October 2026, to face trial on two counts of harassment causing fear of violence against journalists. While speaking to reporters outside court, the far-right activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said billionaire Elon Musk was helping him with his legal fees.

Robinson did not volunteer the information, but a reporter asked: 'Is Elon backing you for this case?' Robinson replied: 'Yes. Do you know what the cost is for today? £200,000.'

Are Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk Friends?

Musk has not publicly confirmed that he is funding Robinson's legal fees. Information about the alleged financial support has come from Robinson's team, who thanked Musk on Telegram in January 2025 for supporting him in two legal cases.

Robinson was jailed in 2024 for contempt of court after repeatedly breaching an injunction prohibiting him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy. He was acquitted in a separate case in November 2025 after being accused of failing to comply with counter-terrorism powers by refusing to give police access to his phone.

Outside Southwark Crown Court in London, Robinson said Musk was helping him with a third case: two counts of harassment causing fear of violence against MailOnline journalists Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber.

What Is Tommy Robinson Accused Of?

On 5 August 2024, Young and Dirnhuber published an article with the headline 'Stoking Race Riots From His Sunbed', accompanied by a photo of Robinson on a sunbed looking at his mobile phone.

The publication angered Robinson, who allegedly intimidated the journalists through social media posts and phone calls. Among the alleged threats was a voicemail message left on the phone of Daily Mail editor-in-chief Ted Verity.

'I've already located every fucking one of you. I've got pictures of everyone here that can go in my story,' part of the message stated. 'I'm not threatening you with violence or anything like that. What I'm promising you is I'll make you famous and your families because that's what you've done to me.'

Robinson also allegedly told Verity to contact him or he would 'come knocking', while adding: 'Now I know you wasn't in your house yesterday... I don't want to do it so please make sure you answer your phone so we can chat.'

Social Media Following

Young told the court in a witness statement that he feared Robinson's hundreds of thousands of followers, which numbered around 800,000 in August 2024. The activist now has around two million followers on X.

'My main concern was that while he may not physically harm me, he had 800,000 followers on X at the time who might have been tempted to seek revenge on me or my home or my family for what I had written,' said Young.

Dirnhuber, for his part, told the court that Robinson had shared his photographs online. He and his partner had to leave their home out of fear. 'I have the knowledge that Tommy Robinson knows my address and my last name is very identifiable,' said Dirnhuber.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to both charges. He said his actions did not constitute threats of violence and were responses to what he considered an invasion of his family's privacy. The harassment trial is expected to last five days.