Reform UK chairman quits after calling question from party's newest MP ‘dumb'
The chairman of Reform UK has quit, saying working to get the party elected was no longer 'a good use of my time'.
Zia Yusuf's decision follows a row in which he described a question to the Prime Minister concerning a ban on burkas from his party's newest MP as 'dumb'.
Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, he said: '11 months ago I became chairman of Reform. I've worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.
'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.'
Earlier, he had criticised the party's newest MP, Sarah Pochin, after she asked Sir Keir Starmer whether he would support banning the burka during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday – something that appears not to be a policy of Reform's.
Asked about the question on social media, Mr Yusuf had said: 'Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn't policy. Busy with other stuff.
'I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.'
Mr Yusuf's resignation comes on the day Reform hopes to cause an upset in Scotland, where it is contesting a Holyrood by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney has described the contest as a 'two-horse race' between his SNP and Reform.
Following Mr Yusuf's resignation, Reform leader Nigel Farage said he was 'genuinely sorry' that he had decided to stand down, paying tribute to him as 'enormously talented' and 'a huge factor in our success' at the local elections.
Mr Farage added: 'Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life.'
A Labour spokesperson said: 'If Nigel Farage can't manage a handful of politicians, how on earth could he run a country? He has fallen out with everyone he has ever worked with. Reform are just not serious.
'The Reform chair has done a runner so that he doesn't have to front up Farage's £80 billion in unfunded cuts, which would spark a Liz Truss-style economic meltdown.
'Nigel Farage's plans would put up every single mortgage in the country and hammer family finances, while forcing them to buy private healthcare. Working people simply can't afford the risk of Reform UK.'
The Liberal Democrats meanwhile suggested Mr Yusuf was leading Reform's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge' – by example.
The cost-cutting plans, which have been rolled out in Kent County Council where Reform won control in May, are based on the Department of Government Efficiency in the US, which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said: 'By sacking himself, Zia Yusuf seems to be leading the 'UK Doge' by example. You have to admire his commitment to the cause.
'It's already clear Reform UK cannot deliver for the communities they are elected to stand up for. Instead, they have copied the Conservative playbook of fighting like rats in a sack.'
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3 hours ago
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Reform UK may be doomed if Nigel Farage can't keep talent in the party
SIR – First it was Ben Habib, then Rupert Lowe, and now Zia Yusuf ('Reform civil war over burka ban', report, June 6). Reform UK has lost big hitters who have all played crucial roles in its success. Will Nigel Farage be the last man standing? Henry Bateson Alnwick, Northumberland SIR – Any organisation that expands rapidly will experience growing pains, when disagreements test the leadership. Management students will recognise this as the 'storming' period of team-building. We are witnessing Reform UK's storming period. To move beyond it, the party needs to have a strategy behind which the entire leadership can unite, providing clarity of purpose. It cannot be defined only by what it is against. This is Reform's challenge. It is gaining at the moment because of the complete breakdown in trust in Labour and the Conservatives, yet has grown quickly, without an established policy platform. Until it sets out what it stands for, it will struggle to progress further – and risks falling back. It still has an opportunity – and a bit of time, but not too long – to present a disciplined front and clear objectives. Phil Coutie Exeter, Devon SIR – Banning the burka would be as illogical as banning the kilt or pinstripe suits. Prohibiting the use of a specific item of clothing is pointless – and an affront to personal liberty. What would make more sense is to ban all face coverings, including balaclavas, helmets and ski masks, in particular locations where security may be an issue, such as banks, jewellery stores, courts and tribunals, airports and military establishments. This would not be an insult to any specific section of the community, just common sense. Dr Chris Staley Bredwardine, Herefordshire SIR – Suella Braverman MP is a prominent example of that peculiar 21st-century phenomenon, the authoritarian Tory ('Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society', Comment, June 5). Previous generations of Conservatives viewed banning things as a last resort, to be used very sparingly, and usually in response to political violence. Banning Sinn Fein from the airwaves during the Troubles is an example. Mrs Braverman's concern about our national cohesion is laudable. I happen to agree with her that face coverings are to be deprecated. However, she is quite wrong in seeking to ban them as a first resort. What is wrong with trying peaceful persuasion? If she has tried it, she did not mention it in her article. David McKee Borehamwood, Hertfordshire Leadership of the BBC SIR – The BBC's habitual missteps in coverage of Gaza ('BBC Israel-Gaza report 'fixed on words of Hamas spokesman'', report, June 6) and mishandling of the Gary Lineker saga speak not so much of poor journalism but more of weak populism at the very top of the corporation. It is for the Director-General and Chairman to defend the BBC's journalism, not to launch yet another internal inquiry. It is for those same leaders to act decisively to defend the BBC's independence and reputation above any single star, no matter how popular they might be. The BBC's golden years were in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher campaigned to weaken it. Then, the BBC was peerless – admired by the good and feared by the bad across the world. Its leaders were cut from different cloth. They were former Servicemen, warriors and statesmen, and won worldwide respect. 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What can we do, when those in power are seemingly unaware that our once-proud, innovative and capable country has become a soft-touch non-entity, unable to do anything right, but still arrogantly claiming to the world that they know best? Malvern Harper Ripley, Derbyshire SIR – Never mind the energy bill burden (Letters, June 5), what about business rates? My rateable value went from £22,000 to £44,000 in April. The amount payable was £23,000, reduced to £13,000 with relief. That's a sum of more than £1,000 a month for a small business, in return for nothing. The impact on the Government's coffers will be negative when I have to make 12 people redundant. Reginald Chester-Sterne Blackfield, Hampshire SIR – Michael Miller (Letters, May 24) says that 'taxes are the membership fee to live in a civilised society'. 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A few years ago, I felt the need to visit my (long-since closed) walk-in treatment centre. I was swiftly diagnosed and treated for a condition that would have become life-threatening had the centre not been there for me to use. All those walk-in centres, now shut, were invaluable in bridging the gap between GP provision and A&E. I wish Mr Streeting success with his 'innovative' policy. A city celebrates SIR – Robert Hill (Letters, June 4) says that English and French football supporters would do well to learn some manners from Napoli fans. It is a pity that he didn't look closer to home. I was in Liverpool for the long weekend of May 24-26. I have never experienced such large crowds of football fans, despite being a lifelong Liverpool supporter who is lucky enough to be able to travel to Anfield several times a season. Hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of the city to celebrate winning the Premier League. You could hear singing and merriment everywhere. I marvelled at what an incredibly diverse bunch of people we Liverpool fans are, with all ages and ethnic groups well represented. Over the three days I did not see anything except joy and kindness, and we non-scousers were made to feel very welcome. Great credit must also go to the blue side of the city, which did nothing to dampen the spirits. It was very sad that the event ended with the incident in Water Street, but even then the city and the club showed their character, pulling together to help those affected. Christine Oxland Wellingborough, Northamptonshire Tailored thanks SIR – My husband was the chief fundraiser for a development mission based abroad, and sought donations from all over the world. I became his thank-you-letter writer (Letters, June 6), and it was my intention to write a letter to each person or company who sent a contribution. They were not always posted, once emails came in, but at least an early response was assured. Learning how to offer appreciation in a different way each time was an interesting challenge, but it is astonishing how it can be achieved with a little thought. For the five years we were abroad, I kept a record of all donations and could make sure that, if somebody sent a second one, the letter would reflect their previous generosity. These things can be done, and are always worth the effort. Jennifer Marston Prinsted, West Sussex SIR – When my son was young, he'd write: 'Thank you for the £2 gift, please up it to £4 next year.' We made him do several more drafts – until he could be polite. Farmers are the custodians of our countryside SIR – I recently drove through the Cotswolds to Wales. The weather was amazing. We had the roof down for nearly 1,200 miles, and were captivated by the countryside: not just the hills and trees, but the corn beginning to ripen, grass being cut for silage, and cows and sheep grazing in neat fields with hedges. 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3 hours ago
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Reform UK struggles to find friends to share council power
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Minority rule In some places - Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Leicestershire - Reform UK has enough councillors to form minority administrations and is attempting to govern other areas where coalitions were possible, Reform UK has either shunned co-operation or vice versa. Where Reform UK has explored potential partnerships locally, its policies have been viewed with suspicion by the established Cornwall, the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives refused to work with Reform UK, even though it was the biggest party and had won the most the Lib Dems teamed up with independent councillors to run Cornwall Council as a minority infuriated Reform UK's group leader in Cornwall, Rob Parsonage, who branded the coalition deal "undemocratic" and "a total stitch-up".Did other parties contrive to exclude Reform UK? The newly minted Lib Dem council leader, Leigh Frost, does not think so."The reality is our core values at heart of it just stand for two very different things and it makes working together incompatible," Frost told the BBC."And then Reform was given two weeks to try to form an administration and chose not to." Frost said Reform UK's Cornwall candidates mainly campaigned on was echoed in conversations with other local party leaders across the country. 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How can you go into coalition with somebody if you don't even know what they stand for?"Joanne Monk, the Reform UK council leader in the county, said she only had "a brief couple of chats" with other party leaders but was uncompromising on coalitions."I'm damned sure we're not on the same wavelength," she followed the lead of Farage, who ruled out formal coalitions at council level but said "in the interests of local people we'll do deals", in comments ahead of the local Worcestershire, Reform UK's minority administration may need to do deals to pass key decisions and avoid other parties banding together to veto their this, she acknowledged other parties were "going to have to work with us at some point". In Northumberland, the Conservatives retained their position as the largest party and gave the impression they were willing to entertain coalition talks with Reform UK, which gained 23 seats."I said I would work with anyone and my door is open," said Conservative council leader Glen Sanderson."But Reform the next day put out a press release saying the price for working with the Conservatives would be extremely high. So on that basis, I assumed that was the door closed on me."No talks were held and the Conservatives formed a minority had passed after the local elections before Mark Peart was voted in as Reform UK's local group leader in the county. As a result, he wasn't in a position to talk to anybody."Everything had already been agreed," Peart said. "It was too late." Training ground Reform UK sources admitted the party was caught a bit flat-footed here and elsewhere as many of its new councillors got the grips with their new jobs in the weeks following the local elections.A support network for those councillors, in the form of training sessions and a local branch system, is being developed by the this week Zia Yusuf, one of the key architects behind that professionalisation drive and the Doge cost-cutting initiative, resigned as party chairman, leaving a gap in the party's UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, said the party's success at the local elections "was partly because of the significant efforts and improvements to the infrastructure of the party" spearheaded by Yusuf is gone, the party has considerably strengthened its foundations at local level, after gaining 677 new councillors and two mayors.A Reform UK source said party bosses will be keeping an eye out for stand-out councillors who could go on to become parliamentary candidates before the general said in areas where Reform UK runs councils as a minority administration, it's going to take some compromise with other parties and independents to pass budgets and key the messy world of town halls and council chambers, that could be a tough apprenticeship.
