The chairman of Reform UK has resigned, 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 UK prime minister Keir Starmer concerning a ban on burkas from his party’s newest MP as “dumb”.
Mr Yusuf had served 11 months as chairman. Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, he said: “I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30 per cent, 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.”
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Earlier, he had criticised the party’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, after she asked Mr Starmer whether he would support banning the burka during prime minister’s questions in Westminster 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 came on the day Reform hoped to cause an upset in Scotland, where it was contesting a Holyrood byelection 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.”
– PA
