Zia Yusuf resigns as Reform UK chairman

Farage said Yusuf was "a immense factor" successful the party's occurrence successful past month's elections, erstwhile Reform won a by-election, 2 mayoral races and gained 677 caller councillors.

However, helium told GB News helium believed Yusuf had "had enough" of politics, which tin beryllium "totally unrelenting".

Farage said helium had "suspicions" Yusuf mightiness discontinue aft helium seemed "very disengaged" erstwhile the brace spoke connected Wednesday greeting but was lone fixed a "10-minute warning" his resignation was coming.

Asked astir reports that immoderate successful the enactment recovered Yusuf hard to woody with, Farage said "not everyone got connected with him".

He added: "Were his interpersonal skills astatine the apical of his database of attributes? No. But I ever recovered him, with me, precise polite."

In a station connected X, Yusuf wrote: "11 months agone I became president of Reform. I've worked afloat clip arsenic a unpaid to instrumentality the enactment from 14 to 30% [in nationalist polls], quadrupled its rank and delivered historical electoral results.

"I nary longer judge moving to get a Reform authorities elected is simply a bully usage of my time, and hereby resign the office."

Earlier, Yusuf had criticised Sarah Pochin - who won past month's Runcorn and Helsby by-election - for urging Sir Keir Starmer to prohibition the burka "in the interests of nationalist safety" during her Prime Minister's Questions debut connected Wednesday.

He said it was "dumb for a enactment to inquire the PM if they would bash thing the enactment itself wouldn't do".

Pochin's telephone appeared to spell down good with Reform's different MPs, though a enactment spokesperson said it was "not enactment policy".

The party's lawman leader, Richard Tice, said determination should beryllium a "national debate" astir a imaginable ban.

However helium declined to authorities what his presumption would connected the issue.

In effect to Yusuf quitting, Pochin said helium had been "a large person and colleague", adding that "the professionalisation helium brought to Reform UK volition person a lasting legacy".

Yusuf, who was antecedently a subordinate of the Conservative Party, became Reform UK's president soon aft past year's wide election.

A erstwhile banker who sold his tech start-up institution for much than £200m, Yusuf has described himself arsenic a "proud British Muslim patriot".

He donated £200,000 to Reform during the wide predetermination run and arsenic president helium was fixed the occupation of professionalising the party, wooing donors and expanding Reform UK's activistic base.

Yusuf was seen arsenic cardinal to Reform's cognition and had been spearheading the party's so-called Doge teams to chopped wasteful spending successful the councils it present controls.

The acronym refers to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency successful the US.

Tech entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried, who was brought successful to pb the Doge unit, said helium was stepping down with Yusuf.

"I person a immense magnitude of respect for the enactment that the councils are doing to prevention payer money, and trim wastage," helium wrote connected X.

But helium added that Yusuf "got maine successful and I judge it is due for maine to permission with him".

Yusuf's unexpected resignation came aft helium had spent caller days trumpeting the Doge initiative, which was lone formally launched this week.

He has antecedently hailed Farage arsenic the UK's "next premier minister" who "will instrumentality Britain to greatness".

Prominent Reform protagonist Tim Montgomerie said helium was "a large fan" of Yusuf but added: "He was a young antheral successful a hurry - helium upset rather a batch of radical who didn't privation the enactment to professionalise, to modernise.

"He faced a batch of prejudice, not needfully from wrong the enactment but connected societal media, I deliberation that affected him.

"I deliberation the enactment implicit the burka question that the caller MP asked yesterday whitethorn person been the past straw for him."

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said: "By sacking himself, Zia Yusuf seems to beryllium starring the 'UK Doge' by example. You person to respect his committedness to the cause.

"It's already wide Reform UK cannot present for the communities they are elected to basal up for. Instead, they person copied the Conservative playbook of warring similar rats successful a sack."

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "If Nigel Farage can't negociate a fistful of politicians, however connected world could helium tally a country?

"He has fallen retired with everyone helium has ever worked with. Reform are conscionable not serious."

Conservative person Kemi Badenoch said: "Reform is not a governmental party. It is simply a instrumentality club."

Reform has seen its enactment successful nationalist polls turn since past year's wide election, erstwhile the enactment won 14.3% of the ballot stock and secured 5 MPs.

However, it has been dogged by infighting which culminated successful Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe being expelled from the party.

It came aft helium was accused of harassing unit members and threatening "physical violence" against Yusuf.

Lowe denied the claims and past period the Crown Prosecution Service said helium would not look transgression charges successful narration to the allegation of threats, aft helium was referred to the constabulary by the party.

Responding to Yusuf's resignation, Lowe said: "The question is - however did a antheral with nary governmental acquisition beryllium fixed specified immense powerfulness wrong Reform?"