Zia Yusuf returns to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as chairman
The 38-year-old businessman said his decision to stand down had been the result of 'exhaustion' and working for 11 months 'without a day off'.
Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking to the Sunday Times newspaper alongside Mr Yusuf, said the former chairman will now effectively be doing 'four jobs', though his title has not yet been decided.
He will lead Reform's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The ex-chairman will also take part in policymaking, fundraising and media appearances.
Mr Yusuf said he was quitting Reform following the latest in a series of internal rows, 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: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.'
Mr Yusuf said he had been left feeling undervalued by some in the party and drained after being subjected to relentless racist abuse on X, and made the comments in 'error'.
'I spoke to Nigel and said I don't mind saying I made an error. It was a function of exhaustion,' he said.
Asked about the row over talk of banning the burka, Mr Yusuf said he 'certainly did not resign because I have any strong views about the burqa itself' but felt blindsided by Sarah Pochin's question to Sir Keir Starmer.
He said that 'if there were a vote and I was in parliament, I would probably vote to ban it actually' but that 'philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States, which such a ban no doubt would be'.
Reform will hope the show of unity between Mr Farage and the former chairman is enough to quell concerns about internal personality clashes, amid recent scrutiny of the leader's fallings out with former allies.
It follows the suspension of MP Rupert Lowe from the party following complaints about his conduct, which he denied, and suggested the leader had a tendency to row with colleagues he felt threatened by.
Labour branded Mr Yusuf's return a 'humiliating hokey-cokey' and said working people could not afford 'the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK'.
Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: 'Reform's revolving door shows that the party is all about one person – Nigel Farage.
'Zia Yusuf's humiliating hokey-cokey is laughable but there is nothing funny about Farage's £80 billion in unfunded commitments.
'His reckless plan is Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget on steroids and would spark economic chaos that increases bills and mortgages.
'Working people simply can't afford the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK.'
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Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Zia Yusuf returns to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as chairman
Zia Yusuf is returning to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as party chairman, claiming his resignation was a 'mistake'. The 38-year-old businessman said his decision to stand down had been the result of 'exhaustion' and working for 11 months 'without a day off'. Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking to the Sunday Times newspaper alongside Mr Yusuf, said the former chairman will now effectively be doing 'four jobs', though his title has not yet been decided. He will lead Reform's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The ex-chairman will also take part in policymaking, fundraising and media appearances. Mr Yusuf said he was quitting Reform following the latest in a series of internal rows, 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: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Mr Yusuf said he had been left feeling undervalued by some in the party and drained after being subjected to relentless racist abuse on X, and made the comments in 'error'. 'I spoke to Nigel and said I don't mind saying I made an error. It was a function of exhaustion,' he said. Asked about the row over talk of banning the burka, Mr Yusuf said he 'certainly did not resign because I have any strong views about the burqa itself' but felt blindsided by Sarah Pochin's question to Sir Keir Starmer. He said that 'if there were a vote and I was in parliament, I would probably vote to ban it actually' but that 'philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States, which such a ban no doubt would be'. Reform will hope the show of unity between Mr Farage and the former chairman is enough to quell concerns about internal personality clashes, amid recent scrutiny of the leader's fallings out with former allies. It follows the suspension of MP Rupert Lowe from the party following complaints about his conduct, which he denied, and suggested the leader had a tendency to row with colleagues he felt threatened by. Labour branded Mr Yusuf's return a 'humiliating hokey-cokey' and said working people could not afford 'the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK'. Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: 'Reform's revolving door shows that the party is all about one person – Nigel Farage. 'Zia Yusuf's humiliating hokey-cokey is laughable but there is nothing funny about Farage's £80 billion in unfunded commitments. 'His reckless plan is Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget on steroids and would spark economic chaos that increases bills and mortgages.
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Former Reform UK chairman, Zia Yusuf, returns to the party less than 48 hours after resigning
Former Reform UK party chairman Zia Yusuf, who resigned on Thursday has rejoined the party in a new role less than 48 hours later. Announcing his change of heart on social media platform X, Yusuf described his resignation tweet as, "a decision born of exhaustion." Writing on X he said he had received a "huge number" of messages following his resignation, adding: "I only came into politics out of a sense of duty, to serve the country I love. The country that had been so kind to my parents and presented me with immense opportunity. "Out of a sense of duty to do whatever I could to reverse decades of decline and make this a country one in which we could be excited for our children to grow up. "I came into politics out of belief that Nigel Farage was the man to deliver that. "Having read the messages, I believe in these things more than ever." His words on Saturday strike a markedly different tone to his resignation in which he said: "I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office." The businessman, who is himself Muslim, said the question had "nothing to do" with him, adding: "I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do." He had also clashed with Reform UK's then-MP, Rupert Lowe, earlier this year, which led to the parliamentarian's suspension from the party. Nigel Farage denied claims his party is a 'one-man-band'. Speaking to ITV News on Friday, Reform party leader, Nigel Farage said, "tired people make mistakes - and he did make a mistake. "I spoke to him the next morning and clearly he regretted what he'd done." Farage described Yusuf as a valued member of the team, saying: "He's someone I want with me as we go ahead towards the next general election." Speaking on Thursday, party leader Nigel Farage said he was "genuinely sorry" that Yusuf had decided to stand down as chairman. Writing at the time on X he posted: "As I said last week, he was a huge factor in our success on May 1st and is an enormously talented person. "Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life." Writing on X this Saturday, Farage said he was delighted Zia Yusuf was returning to Reform UK, describing him as "an important part of the team." Zia Yusuf's exit led many to criticise the party's infighting. Responding to Yusuf's return on Saturday, former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe said: "Zia Yusuf is back in Reform. "I have never been more convinced that we need a credible alternative to the utter shambles that is Reform UK." Responding to the news on Saturday, Labour's Ellie Reeves said: 'Reform's revolving door shows that the party is all about one person - Nigel Farage. 'Zia Yusuf's humiliating hokey-cokey is laughable but there is nothing funny about Farage's £80 billion in unfunded commitments." Though seemingly not returning to his role as party chairman, the new "UK DOGE" team Yusuf says he will be running looks to be modelled on the US equivalent aimed at slashing government spending and, until recently, headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Zia Yusuf returns to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as chairman
Zia Yusuf is returning to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as party chairman, claiming his resignation was a 'mistake'. The 38-year-old businessman said his decision to stand down had been the result of 'exhaustion' and working for 11 months 'without a day off'. Advertisement Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking to The Sunday Times newspaper alongside Mr Yusuf, said the former chairman will now effectively be doing 'four jobs', though his title has not yet been decided. Mr Yusuf's new formal title is yet to be decided (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He will lead Reform's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The ex-chairman will also take part in policymaking, fundraising and media appearances. Mr Yusuf said he was quitting Reform following the latest in a series of internal rows, in which he described a question to the UK prime minister concerning a ban on burkas from his party's newest MP as 'dumb'. Advertisement Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, he said: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Mr Yusuf said he had been left feeling undervalued by some in the party and drained after being subjected to relentless racist abuse on X, and made the comments in 'error'. 'I spoke to Nigel and said I don't mind saying I made an error. It was a function of exhaustion,' he said. Asked about the row over talk of banning the burka, Mr Yusuf said he 'certainly did not resign because I have any strong views about the burqa itself' but felt blindsided by Sarah Pochin's question to Sir Keir Starmer. Advertisement He said that 'if there were a vote and I was in parliament, I would probably vote to ban it actually' but that 'philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States, which such a ban no doubt would be'. Reform will hope the show of unity between Mr Farage and the former chairman is enough to quell concerns about internal personality clashes, amid recent scrutiny of the leader's fallings out with former allies. It follows the suspension of MP Rupert Lowe from the party following complaints about his conduct, which he denied, and suggested the leader had a tendency to row with colleagues he felt threatened by. Labour branded Mr Yusuf's return a 'humiliating hokey-cokey' and said working people could not afford 'the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK'. Advertisement Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: 'Reform's revolving door shows that the party is all about one person – Nigel Farage. 'Zia Yusuf's humiliating hokey-cokey is laughable but there is nothing funny about Farage's £80 billion in unfunded commitments. 'His reckless plan is Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget on steroids and would spark economic chaos that increases bills and mortgages. 'Working people simply can't afford the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK.' Advertisement
