Elon Musk has backed Restore Britain's candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral election after he was temporarily suspended from his NHS role, the party said on Wednesday.
Musk's support
On his X platform, the US tech billionaire shared a letter Restore Britain's leader, Rupert Lowe MP, wrote to the chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. And Musk added text saying 'It could have been your daughter' to his post - an apparent reference to the context behind candidate Marlon West's suspension.
Suspension details
The Manchester Evening News told on Tuesday that Mr West has been temporarily suspended from his role in the NHS for 'offensive' social media posts. He has worked in the public sector for 30 years as a community mental health nurse.
On Friday July 17, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) published an interim decision confirming the decision to suspend him for a period of 18 months. Mr West was not present or represented at the virtual hearing. An interim order stops a nurse or midwife practising during an investigation. The M.E.N. has seen a copy of the report, which states that the decision followed allegations made against Mr West.
Context of the posts
The concerns relate to social media posts made by Mr West in 2025. The M.E.N. understands these include comments referring to the abuse suffered by his own daughter. Mr West has been a prominent campaigner against Child Sexual Exploitation, seeking to establish a national grooming gang enquiry. His daughter was aged 14 when she was sexually exploited. Restore Britain told the M.E.N that in a discussion on a private Facebook group, Mr West referred to the injuries his daughter received at the hands of one of these gangs.
It is believed Mr West posted: "This is what Pakistanis do! After being raped and tortured! My daughter you sicko."
West's response
Mr West said in response: "I regret nothing, and I will not be apologising. I stand by everything I said. Gangs of primarily Pakistani Muslim men have raped, abused and tortured vulnerable white English girls across Greater Manchester for decades. Finally there is the political will to fight it with Restore Britain.
"I am proud to be the Restore Britain candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election next week. I will make one promise. If I am elected, I will go to war with the rape gangs across Greater Manchester. For my daughter, and the thousands of others who have suffered the same evil."
Political reaction
Restore Britain leader Mr Lowe described the suspension as creating 'the unmistakable appearance of political interference' and noted that Mr West's core comments on grooming gangs were 'objectively factual'. He also called on the regulator to reinstate him.
Mr Lowe said in a new statement on Wednesday: "Marlon West has paid a higher personal price than most people in public life ever will.
"An interim suspension, days before an election, in a case that's already eight months old, shouldn't be treated as a verdict. Restore Britain stands by Marlon, and our focus now is exactly where it should be: on winning this election for the people of Greater Manchester."
