Far-right 'influencer' Steve Laws brags about House of Lords meetings
Steve Laws, who made a name for himself filming small boats landing on the English coast, bragged on Twitter/X that he was meeting with two peers this week.
The peers are not known and Laws declined to give any information when approached by The National.
In a post on Twitter/X on Tuesday, Laws said: "I have a meeting with two members of the [House of Lords] this week to discuss remigration. We're gaining ground."
READ MORE: Inside the extreme far-right plot to 'covertly' infiltrate Reform UK
The influencer quit the Homeland Party, which is linked with Nazi sympathisers, in April this year and has said on social media they are 'going soft'.
Homeland's flagship policy is 'remigration', which would encourage immigrants to leave the UK, as well as the promotion of the 'ethnic identity' of 'indigenous' Britons.
They have been called 'fascist' and key members have expressed support for Adolf Hitler and had their opinions compared to Nazism.
(Image: NQ)
Anthony Burrows, Homeland's nominating officer, lost an appeal to overturn his shotgun licence ban in 2023 because of his extreme political views.
Judge Jonathan Bennett, presiding at Derby Crown Court, heard that Burrows had posted photographs including of Adolf Hitler and of the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in response to being asked on Twitter/X to 'describe your politics with four people'.
Another Twitter/X post from the same account showed what appeared to be mass graves of Muslim people.
READ MORE: German politician who met neo-Nazis to attend far-right Scottish party conference
The judge said Burrows had 'given us significant concerns coupled with sharing links to terrorist literature and manifestos'. He added: 'Consequently, we take the view that the police were quite correct to act as they did when his shotguns were removed in August 2021 and his licence was revoked.'
Alec Cave, the party's national media officer, was described in an employment tribunal as having beliefs which are 'akin to Nazism'.
We revealed last week how Patriotic Alternative, from which Homeland split, has been encouraging followers to infiltrate Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Supporters were encouraged to join the party, which is surging in opinion polls, and attempt to run for elected office in a bid to "exert a significant level of influence on the direction of Reform and eventually within the corridors of power in this nation".
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Telegraph
15 minutes ago
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Reform's non-stop psychodrama threatens to drive voters away
Nigel Farage was given just 10 minutes' warning before Zia Yusuf unleashed an earthquake that could shatter Reform UK's electoral fortunes. The party leader said that after a telephone conversation on Wednesday morning, he thought Mr Yusuf had 'had enough' of politics. But it was on Thursday evening that Reform's chairman resigned in the latest in a series of internal disputes that has begun to distract from the party's electoral success. As voters were trickling out of polling booths in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election in Scotland, where Reform's position looks strong, Mr Yusuf announced he no longer thought working for the party was a 'good use of his time'. The barely veiled implication was that he does not believe Mr Farage should be prime minister – a stunning admission from a man who has made putting Reform in Downing Street his single goal since the days after last year's general election. Mr Yusuf, a successful entrepreneur and millionaire, was hired to professionalise the party's candidate selection, fundraising and day-to-day operations. Under his leadership, Reform has moved into a plush new Westminster headquarters, won a parliamentary by-election and majorities on 10 English councils, and placed itself in the crosshairs of Sir Keir Starmer. There was also an almighty row with Rupert Lowe, one of the five MPs Reform voted in at the 2024 election, who fell out with Mr Yusuf and was reported to the parliamentary authorities and police for bullying, which he denies. Mr Farage backed his chairman and suspended the whip from Mr Lowe in March, and both sides have since sued each other. It proved a bitter row, but one that Mr Yusuf survived. As recently as Monday, Mr Farage told The Telegraph that while the 38-year-old businessman was 'new to the game', he would 'be around for many, many years to come', and would play a 'significant role in shaping the future of the country'. The fact that he resigned four days later is a testament to the work Reform still needs to do to become a general election-winning machine. Reform sources say there has been a dispute in the party for some time over what exactly Mr Yusuf should do in his role as chairman. As a recent graduate of Britain's business world, he was the obvious choice to lead 'UK Doge', Reform's Elon Musk-inspired efficiency drive in the councils it now runs. But that shift, from running Reform to the 'Doge' role, has led to the rise of another figure, 24-year-old Aaron Lobo, who served as Mr Farage's producer at GB News and has recently become Reform's operations manager. The divide between the party's political team and Mr Yusuf's more managerial role was laid bare on Wednesday at Prime Minister's Questions, when Sarah Pochin, the newest Reform MP, asked Sir Keir whether he would ban the burka. Mr Yusuf, who is a Muslim, said he only learnt about the question when he saw it online. He later added he thought it was 'dumb' for a party to ask the Government to endorse policies it did not support. But it later emerged that other party figures were more open to banning the burka than he expected. Lee Anderson, the chief whip, said he agreed they should be outlawed, adding: 'No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.' Mr Farage said the public 'do deserve a debate' about banning religious face coverings. He added, in an interview with GB News, that he had known about the question in advance. The row was remarkable not just for its contents – which led to accusations of racism from Labour – but because it played out in public. If Mr Yusuf was in charge of his party, why did he not know what was going on? And why would he respond to his colleagues online, rather than in the office? Sources close to the party say that Mr Yusuf has become increasingly uncomfortable with the level of scrutiny his dispute with Mr Lowe brought, and had complained that every time he went on a national broadcast channel, he received a deluge of racist abuse online. On Thursday night, Mr Farage blamed 'alt-Right' abuse of Mr Yusuf online and claimed criticism of him on X had begun to upset him in recent weeks. The Telegraph understands he also found it difficult to bridge the gap between the party's more aggressive wing, once led by Mr Lowe, and attempts to become more moderate to attract disaffected Conservative voters. Unfortunately for Mr Farage, the incident is only the latest in a series of high-profile rows between the party leader and his senior colleagues. In his remarkable and lengthy political career, the veteran Brexiteer has fallen out with Ukip colleagues Mark Reckless, Douglas Carswell, Godfrey Bloom and Suzanne Evans, and the Reform deputy leader Ben Habib. Reform already has an uphill battle in convincing voters that it is a credible political force before the next general election. Mr Farage has done an impressive job in building a party with five MPs into a project with a seven-point poll lead over Labour that has all but killed off the Conservatives. The fact there are now Reform-run councils across the country is a boon. However, turning Reform's momentum in opposition into the sense it is a party of government will be much harder, and endless rows and resignations will not give voters any confidence on that front. Plus, if the row over the burka ban is genuinely the reason for Mr Yusuf's resignation, there are also policy questions to be asked. Chiefly, how much does Mr Farage want to rely on migration and race issues for votes? Will he tolerate his party's MPs criticising core beliefs of Muslims in the Commons chamber? Mr Farage, aided by Mr Yusuf, has come to think about his party as more of a political business than a party in the traditional Westminster mould. In the early-stage startup world, rows between executives over the direction of their projects are not uncommon – as Mr Yusuf has no doubt experienced. But stopping the in-fighting and resignations is now a business-critical issue. Reform's psychodrama risks driving voters back to Labour and the Conservatives, at a time when it must maintain its position in the polls or fizzle out.
ITV News
33 minutes ago
- ITV News
Why has Zia Yusuf quit Reform UK?
Zia Yusuf was brought in as Reform UK chair less than a year ago, with Nigel Farage hoping the millionaire entrepreneur would help to 'professionalise' his party. Only this week, he was leading 'UK DOGE' - Reform's attempt to copy Elon Musk's cost-cutting drive in the US federal government. But on Wednesday, long-bubbling tensions within Reform boiled over. When newbie MP Sarah Pochin asked Keir Starmer whether he wanted to ban the burqa at PMQs this week, it was a deliberate attempt to provoke controversy and attract attention. But it has backfired spectacularly. On Thursday morning, Zia Yusuf - who is a practising Muslim - said he had no idea the question was going to be asked and labelled it 'dumb' because banning the burqa was not even Reform UK policy. Hours later, he told Farage he'd had enough and would be quitting the party. 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time,' Yusuf posted in a statement. 'Nigel was very disappointed and shocked,' said a Reform source. All of this matters because Farage wants to become prime minister of a Reform UK government after the next election. And another round of infighting at the top of the party (Rupert Lowe was kicked out as an MP in March) risks leaving the party looking amateur, unprofessional and not ready to govern. From early on, Yusuf's appointment created a rift. Staff who'd been with Farage throughout his Ukip and Brexit party years clashed with Yusuf's start-up style of management. Some long-term officials were pushed out of Reform in favour of younger faces. Farage put Yusuf in charge of overhauling Reform's vetting, campaigning and training operation. He is credited with expanding Reform's membership to more than 200,000 people and overseeing a local election campaign which saw almost 700 councillors elected. But the tensions bubbling away within the party burst out in early March when Yusuf reported one of Reform's MPs, Rupert Lowe, to the police over alleged threats of physical violence. Lowe had the party whip suspended and never returned. Police later said he would not face any charges. Some of Reform's supporters were deeply uncomfortable with the party being managed by a practising muslim, and the row with Lowe caused a torrent of online abuse to be directed at Yusuf. Online streams of Reform events would often see comments filled with hateful, often racist rhetoric when Yusuf appeared on screen. In March, Farage called out the 'online abuse and frankly outright overt racism' directed at his party chair, and criticised the lack of media coverage. Farage was a genuine believer that Yusuf had the intellect to help Reform UK achieve the seemingly improbable task of winning the next general election. He also thought having a young man from an ethnic minority at the top of the party softened Reform's image and blunted accusations from the left that his party was racist. 'Zia leaving will cause him a problem,' said one Reform insider. While some will celebrate Yusuf's departure, he leaves a big hole at the top of the party. 'I think politics was too much for him. He genuinely has a great mind, but he hated having to play the game,' said one Reform source. Farage's biggest challenge now is proving that he can keep his party together. If he can't, he has little chance of convincing voters he is capable of running the country.
Telegraph
an hour ago
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Tice: I'd laugh to the hills if Boris came back – the Tories are done
Richard Tice has said he would 'laugh to the hills' if the Tories brought Boris Johnson back, claiming the party is 'done'. The Conservatives' feeble poll ratings following their disastrous local election showing have prompted some party figures to call for the former prime minister to return to help counter the threat of Nigel Farage. But Mr Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, told the Politics Inside Out podcast that Mr Johnson's failures in office caused such 'rage' in the Red Wall that he was unlikely to be an electoral asset. Recent polling makes dire reading for the Tories, with one survey last month seeing the party slip to fourth place behind the Liberal Democrats. It was reported last month that some MPs were urging Mr Johnson to stand again, with one saying: 'He is the only man who can take on Nigel Farage and win.' But a poll found that just 15 per cent of Reform voters believed Mr Johnson would be a better pick for Downing Street than Mr Farage – indicating that a return of the former prime minister would make little difference. Appearing on the podcast, hosted by former Labour MPs Gloria de Piero and Jonathan Ashworth, Mr Tice was asked how he would react if Mr Johnson was brought back. 'We would laugh,' he said. 'I'd laugh to the hills if they brought Boris back. They clearly don't understand that brand, particularly in the industrial heartlands who lent him their vote in December 19. 'They rage at his failures. They rage at what that Conservative regime did. So no, I'm not worried about any of them, frankly. 'The brand is done. It's toxic. It'll never be forgiven for the mismanagement of the economy and things like net zero. So I think they won't be forgiven.' Mr Tice went on to say that he would like Reform UK to replace the Conservative Party in the same way that Labour eclipsed the Liberals a century ago. 'Basically they're done,' he said. 'It's over. They're polling as a minor party… I think that there has been a sea change in recognition within elements of the Conservative Party. They're losing councillors all over the place.' Last week, one senior Tory told the Sun: 'Some of the old gang around Boris Johnson are back texting and in talks to get him to return. 'The feeling is he is the only man who can take on Nigel Farage and win. They want to bring back Boris.'
