Why did Reform UK's chair quit? Senior source reveals inside details of shock exit

2 months ago 38

About 15 minutes earlier Zia Yusuf's daze resignation, a fewer elder Reform figures were warned thing was owed to happen.

"It was a surprise, but we knew thing was up," a elder enactment root tells me.

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Alongside Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, Mr Yusuf has been an progressively recognisable look successful Reform UK.

That was nary accident: helium was being enactment guardant for much media interviews and was seen by some, including Mr Farage, arsenic the aboriginal of the party.

So what went wrong? A elder root tells maine Mr Yusuf "definitely was not pushed" and the concern was precise antithetic to the resignation of former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

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The root said relations betwixt the enactment person and Mr Yusuf are "absolutely fine" and the brace person been successful contact.

In his statement, the erstwhile president said the relation was no longer "a bully usage of my time".

 Lucy North/PA Wire

Image: Nigel Farage saw Zia Yusuf arsenic the aboriginal of the party. Pic: PA

Behind the scenes, Mr Yusuf did person critics. He angered immoderate erstwhile the constabulary became progressive successful an probe into Mr Lowe.

On Wednesday, Mr Yusuf publically distanced himself from the party's caller MP, Sarah Pochin, erstwhile she asked Sir Keir Starmer astir a burka prohibition astatine Prime Minister's Questions.

Reform said the prohibition wasn't enactment argumentation - and the president called it a "dumb" happening to inquire successful a station connected X.

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Reform UK MP pushes for burka ban

The root said that earlier Ms Pochin's comments, Mr Yusuf was wavering: "He conscionable got sick of each the maltreatment online."

They said the Reform UK person was "genuinely saddened" by the erstwhile chairman's resignation, and Mr Yusuf was "not pushed aside, helium inactive had afloat control" amidst claims of a powerfulness struggle.

Another root adjacent to the party, however, said Mr Yusuf had committed respective "politically inexperienced" missteps, and a enactment had been brewing implicit his societal media station astir Ms Pochin.

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Asked astir accusations that, arsenic we saw with UKIP, Mr Farage can't clasp the apical of his enactment together, a elder root said: "The Rupert Lowe happening was acold bigger and that did not impact our polling oregon results successful May."

They pointed to the accelerated turnover of Conservative chairmen earlier they mislaid the election, and said the enactment was "not rushing" to name a caller chairman.

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