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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The new Reform chairman who used to be a TV presenter
A television presenter who made his name fronting a popular show about ghosts and the paranormal is to be unveiled tomorrow as Reform's new boss, the Mail can reveal. Dr David Bull, 56, who backs 'binning the burka', will replace Zia Yusuf whose resignation as chairman last Thursday threatened to plunge Nigel Farage 's party into chaos. The new chairman is a former hospital doctor who moved into broadcasting shortly after he qualified at London 's St Mary's Medical Hospital School in 1993. His most prominent presenting role was on paranormal reality TV show Most Haunted Live! The openly gay Dr Bull, 56, follows the Scottish born Yusuf, 38, who is the son of Sri Lankan Muslims. 'I think we are ticking the right diversity boxes,' joked one senior Reform figure today. Last week, Yusuf, a multi-millionaire businessman, provoked uproar when he criticised Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin for calling for a burka ban in the Commons at Prime Minister's Questions . The next day Yusuf, 38, unexpectedly quit to the relief of many of his senior colleagues who found him difficult to work with. Unlike Yusuf, the new Reform chairman is an advocate of banning the burka, which he regards as an 'anti-British symbol'. Farage hopes the Bull appointment will calm the frayed nerves of many party members coming, as it does, just three months after the resignation of the Reform MP Rupert Lowe. He quit in protest at Farage's 'dictatorial' style of leadership. When Yusuf resigned on Thursday he said he no longer believed that working for Reform to win power at the next election was 'a good use of my time'. Many Reform senior figures feared he would deliver a devastating post-resignation interview but, in a bizarre twist, he instead announced on Saturday he was rejoining Reform only 48 hours after he quit. He is being put in charge of Reform's 'Doge' team, which is modelled on the Department of Government Efficiency set up by US President Trump in the US . Asked today why he had resigned as chairman, Yusuf told the BBC: 'I've been working pretty much non-stop, virtually no days off. It is very difficult to keep going at that pace.' Yusuf alienated many party members with his abrupt manner and controlling style of management. Arron Banks, a founder of Leave EU who is a close friend of Mr Farage, said that Yusuf was a 'control freak' who was 'prone to changing his mind frequently'. One party source said: 'Yusuf's new role will keep him out of party HQ as he will be visiting the county councils which we now run across the country to try to cut out waste. It will be a better use of his talents and energies.' There had been speculation that Ann Widdecombe, 77, the redoubtable former Tory prisons minister who defected to Mr Farage's side in 2019 , would be the new chairman. 'It's not Widdecombe even though she is very highly regarded,' said a source. Dr Bull, who is a presenter on the Rupert Murdoch channel Talk, is not wealthy like Yusuf, who netted £30 million from the sale of an upmarket concierge firm. Briefly a Brexit Party MEP, he is described by colleagues as collegiate and a team player. Before joining Farage's Brexit Party, Dr Bull was the Tory parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion when David Cameron was party leader. But he stood down in 2009 and headed up a policy review on sexual health. He published his first book, Cool And Celibate?: Sex And No Sex, arguing the benefits of abstinence for teenagers. A former anchor of the BBC current affairs programme Newsround, he presented Most Haunted Live! between 2002 and 2005. A Reform source said: 'He looks and sounds good and he's been out and proud for years so we have no worries about any skeletons in his closet.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The new Reform chairman who used to be a TV presenter. ANDREW PIERCE lifts the lid
A television presenter who made his name fronting a popular show about ghosts and the paranormal is to be unveiled tomorrow as Reform's new boss, the Mail can reveal. Dr David Bull, 56, who backs 'binning the burka', will replace Zia Yusuf whose resignation as chairman last Thursday threatened to plunge Nigel Farage 's party into chaos. The new chairman is a former hospital doctor who moved into broadcasting shortly after he qualified at London 's St Mary's Medical Hospital School in 1993. His most prominent presenting role was on paranormal reality TV show Most Haunted Live!. The openly gay Dr Bull, 56, follows the Scottish born Yusuf, 38, who is the son of Sri Lankan Muslims. 'I think we are ticking the right diversity boxes,' joked one senior Reform figure today. Last week, Yusuf, a multi-millionaire businessman, provoked uproar when he criticised Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin for calling for a burka ban in the Commons at Prime Minister's Questions. The next day Yusuf, 38, unexpectedly quit to the relief of many of his senior colleagues who found him difficult to work with. Unlike Yusuf, the new Reform chairman is an advocate of banning the burka, which he regards as an 'anti-British symbol'. Farage hopes the Bull appointment will calm the frayed nerves of many party members coming, as it does, just three months after the resignation of the Reform MP Rupert Lowe. He quit in protest at Farage's 'dictatorial' style of leadership. When Yusuf resigned on Thursday he said he no longer believed that working for Reform to win power at the next election was 'a good use of my time'. Many Reform senior figures feared he would deliver a devastating post-resignation interview but, in a bizarre twist, he instead announced on Saturday he was rejoining Reform only 48 hours after he quit. He is being put in charge of Reform's 'Doge' team, which is modelled on the Department of Government Efficiency set up by US President Trump in the US. Asked today why he had resigned as chairman, Yusuf told the BBC: 'I've been working pretty much non-stop, virtually no days off. It is very difficult to keep going at that pace.' Yusuf alienated many party members with his abrupt manner and controlling style of management. Arron Banks, a founder of Leave EU who is a close friend of Mr Farage, said that Yusuf was a 'control freak' who was 'prone to changing his mind frequently'. One party source said: 'Yusuf's new role will keep him out of party HQ as he will be visiting the county councils which we now run across the country to try to cut out waste. It will be a better use of his talents and energies.' There had been speculation that Ann Widdecombe, 77, the redoubtable former Tory prisons minister who defected to Mr Farage's side in 2019, would be the new chairman. 'It's not Widdecombe even though she is very highly regarded,' said a source. Dr Bull, who is a presenter on the Rupert Murdoch channel Talk, is not wealthy like Yusuf, who netted £30 million from the sale of an upmarket concierge firm. Briefly a Brexit Party MEP, he is described by colleagues as collegiate and a team player. Before joining Farage's Brexit Party, Dr Bull was the Tory parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion when David Cameron was party leader. But he stood down in 2009 and headed up a policy review on sexual health. He published his first book, Cool And Celibate?: Sex And No Sex, arguing the benefits of abstinence for teenagers. A former anchor of the BBC current affairs programme Newsround, he presented Most Haunted Live! between 2002 and 2005. A Reform source said: ''He looks and sounds good and he's been out and proud for years so we have no worries about any skeletons in his closet.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Nigel Farage says Zia Yusuf 'lost his rag' in row over 'daft' burka ban but has been 'forgiven' - as ex-Reform chair backs outlawing head coverings
Nigel Farage admitted former Reform chairman Zia Yusuf 'lost his rag' last week when he lashed out at a 'dumb' question by a party MP about a burka ban and then briefly quit. On a visit to Wales the party leader said Mr Yusuf was now 'very much back, and enthused' after barely 48 hours in the wilderness. Mr Farage admitted he was 'not exactly chuffed with what he had to say' when Mr Yusuf tweeted that Sarah Pochin's PMQs question about banning Islamic veils was 'dumb'. But he told reporters in Port Talbot that 'people make mistakes' and that Mr Yusuf 'said he was sorry and I have forgiven him.' Former banker Mr Yusuf has returned to Reform but in a lesser role leading its drive to cut local council waste. This morning he made a humiliating on-air apology for his role in the public row. He insisted his tweet 'did not criticise her as dumb' directly, and he had in fact only been saying her question was dumb. And the son of Sri Lankan Muslim immigrants said that if he was an MP he 'would be in favour of banning face coverings in public', even though he is generally 'queasy about banning things'. Mr Yusuf quit as chairman 24 hours after his criticism of Ms Pochin later, only to abruptly U-turn and return to the party ranks 48 hours later on Saturday. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme he reiterated that 'exhaustion led to a poor decision' to quit and that Ms Pochin was 'a tremendous MP (and) a phenomenal asset to the party and the House of Commons.' Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, Mr Yusuf said: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Asked about the burka ban row he said at the time he 'certainly did not resign because I have any strong views about the burka itself' but felt blindsided by the question. Mr Yusuf told Today: 'If I was an MP I would think about it very deeply and I probably would be in favour of banning face coverings in public writ large, not just the burka – you know I have seen (masked) Antifa thugs threaten Nigel, threaten our employees and attack one of his security detail and knock a tooth out. Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, Mr Yusuf said: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' 'It's a very threatening thing and we live in dangerous times.' 'The thing that frustrated me at the time was that I did think at that moment that the best thing to do was to ask a question about something that would be policy. 'I'm very queasy and uneasy about banning things that would be, for example, unconstitutional in the United States, as I think it would be, but we have a very particular situation here in the UK, I would think about it very deeply but I probably would be in favour of a ban.' The ex-chairman will also take part in policymaking, fundraising and media appearances in his role leading the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency formerly led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. He will be working alongside another millionaire, the Brexit backer Arron Banks, in councils run by Reform to route out supposed waste. Mr Banks, who stood as a Reform candidate in the local elections in May, said yesterday that Mr Yusuf's return was 'an inspirational move' that played to the strengths of someone who was 'a brilliant communicator with the media and a genius on tech'. However, on Friday night, after Mr Yusuf resigned, he was less complimentary, tweeting: 'Zia worked very hard but struggled with relationships and people. The corks will be popping in party HQ this evening.. Reform will power on …' Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking to the Sunday Times newspaper alongside Mr Yusuf, said the former chairman will return and effectively be doing 'four jobs', though his title has not yet been decided. Yesterday it was put to deputy leader Richard Tice that that it does not look very professional for Reform's chairman to be in, out, then back in again. He told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'Zia Yusuf has done a brilliant job in growing the party, creating huge infrastructure, over 400 branches, but it's a massive job and as we were growing incredibly fast, essentially that job was too much for one person, so we're reorganising, and I'm delighted that Zia is staying with the party, and he's going to be focusing on our Doge unit. 'There is so much waste you've been talking about, how does the Government find more money? 'Well, the best thing is to stop wasting money. I'm afraid, what we're discovering as we look under the bonnet of the 10 councils that we are now in control of, is there's waste everywhere, and it's got to stop. 'That's what Zia is going to focus on, as well as fundraising. So it's great news he's with us.'
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Zia Yusuf: Reform UK burka row is 'storm in a teacup'
Former Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has called a row over a social media post - in which he said it was "dumb" for one of his MPs to call for a burka ban - a "storm in a teacup". Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Yusuf said he regretted the post and that "exhaustion led to a poor decision". Shortly after criticising MP Sarah Pochin, Yusuf quit as chairman saying that trying to get Reform UK elected was not "a good use of my time".However, two days later he returned to work for the party albeit in a different role, leading the party's Doge unit, a team inspired by the US Department of Government Efficiency, set up by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The initiative aims to cut wasteful spending in the councils Reform now why he had resigned as chairman, Yusuf said: "I've been working pretty much non-stop, virtually no days off."It is very difficult to keep going at that pace."He said one of the reasons he had "changed his decision so quickly" and returned to work for the party, was that he had been "inundated" by supportive messages from Reform voters and members. The series of events began last Wednesday when Pochin, the newly-elected MP for Runcorn and Helsby, asked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer if he would join France and Denmark in banning the burka, a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers the face and body, "in the interests of public safety".The following day Yusuf, who is a Muslim, posted on X: "I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do".Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Yusuf said "the thing that frustrated me at the time" was that Pochin had not chosen to ask something that was party for his views on a ban, he said: "If I was an MP I would think about it very deeply, I think I probably would be in favour of banning face coverings in public writ large, not just the burka."I'm very queasy and uneasy about banning things that for example would be unconstitutional in the US but we have a particular situation in the UK."He said he did not believe Islam was "a threat to the country" but added that the UK had "a problem with assimilation". Over the weekend, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was also asked her views on banning the burka. She told the Telegraph: "People should be allowed to wear whatever they want, not what their husband is asking them to wear or what their community says that they should wear."However, she said that organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear and that she asked people coming to her constituency surgeries to remove face coverings "whether it's a burka or a balaclava". "I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face," she Muslim Council of Britain accused her of "desperation" adding: "Kemi Badenoch isn't setting the agenda - she's scrambling to keep up with Reform UK's divisive rhetoric."
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
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. They knew the corridors of Whitehall and Westminster and had learnt the delicate art of navigating them to the benefit of the BBC and the British public. The BBC desperately needs that type of leadership now. Stephen R W Francis BBC historian Droxford, Hampshire SIR – The refusal of Russell T Davies to make Doctor Who less woke is typical of someone who is paid by a public corporation where the laws of supply and demand no longer apply. Single-handedly, he is destroying a valuable British asset in order to promote his woke agenda. Kelvin Trott Heckington, Lincolnshire Squeezed by Labour SIR – The national debt costs us roughly £274 million a day in interest payments (Letters, June 6), and the Government is adding to this burden every month. Parliamentarians, civil servants and trade unions are protected from the pain experienced by the self-employed and workers in the private sector, who are being catastrophically squeezed. Meanwhile, our wealth creators are leaving by the plane-load. 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'. Perhaps there lies the root of the problem: with increasing worklessness, and claims for sickness and other out-of-work benefits ballooning, not enough people are now paying that membership fee. Mike Hughes London SW10 Beckham's honour SIR – David Beckham is to receive a knighthood for being able to kick a football (report, June 6), while Kevin Sinfield, who led Leeds Rhinos to seven rugby league Grand Final victories and has raised more than £10 million for the fight against motor neurone disease, still awaits his. I'm afraid that this shows anti-Northern bias and reflects the country's obsession with football. Stanley Surr Leeds, West Yorkshire NHS walk-in centres SIR – Wes Streeting's 'raft of changes' to the existing model of healthcare provision, including a plan to keep all but the seriously ill or injured out of A&E, is most welcome (report, June 6). However, while the idea of introducing same-day treatment centres is wonderful, it is not new. 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. We farmers are criticised – at times fairly – but this Government seems intent on getting rid of us. What will the countryside look like in the future, and who will be its custodians, as we have been for hundreds of years? David Taylor Bicester, Oxfordshire SIR – When British consumers go food shopping, they want high-quality, affordable food, with a lower impact on the environment. Supermarkets and farmers work together to deliver this, producing some of the best British food on offer, from delicious strawberries to tasty cheddar. British food is renowned across the world, in part because of its high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. Yet these come with costs. Since Brexit, farmers in England no longer receive subsidies for producing food, only for delivering environmental improvements, helping the Government meet legally binding targets. This funding lets farmers invest in protecting rivers and wildlife, planting trees and hedges, and growing food in a more environmentally friendly way. All this is at risk if investment in sustainable farming is cut at the upcoming Spending Review. Much of this vital work would stop, putting farm businesses at risk. We therefore urge the Chancellor to protect the sustainable farming budget. Letters to the Editor We accept letters by email and post. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers. ADDRESS: 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT EMAIL: dtletters@ FOLLOW: Telegraph Letters @LettersDesk
