Shake-Up at the Top: Zia Yusuf Walks Away
Reform UK finds itself at a crossroads after Zia Yusuf resigned as chairman just shy of his one-year anniversary in the role. The announcement, which caught party insiders and supporters off guard, landed on June 5, 2025. Yusuf openly admitted he was fed up with what he called the party's stubborn struggles to make government gains, despite delivering on almost every target he was given. Membership shot up four times under his stewardship, and the party’s poll support doubled to 30%, a huge leap for a group competing against the Conservatives and Labour. He called these strides “historic,” but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the job.
The backdrop to Yusuf’s departure is anything but calm. He and Nigel Farage – Reform’s high-profile leader – worked closely to modernize Reform’s campaign strategy. Yusuf managed to bring in thousands of new members and helped rack up record results at the ballot box. Insiders describe him as the engine behind Reform’s recent momentum. His resignation now puts all of that at risk, especially as the party heads into a make-or-break Scottish by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a strong result in Scotland could show Reform isn’t just an English protest party—it aims to be a force nationwide.
Controversy and Conflict Boil Over
While numbers were up, tempest was brewing inside the party. The match that set it off? A question in the House of Commons by Reform’s only MP, Sarah Pochin. During Prime Minister’s Questions, she demanded to know if the UK should join France and Denmark in banning the burqa. Backlash was swift. Party officials hurried to distance themselves, insisting that banning religious attire was not, and never had been, party policy. Yusuf didn’t hide his feelings, branding Pochin’s line of questioning “dumb” in public. His blunt criticism—rare in British party politics—fueled debate, leaving some members furious and others relieved by his honesty. The episode revealed deep divisions on culture war issues that had been simmering just below the surface.
Things got even messier after exchanges between Yusuf and Rupert Lowe, a former Reform MP, spilled into the open. According to reports, Lowe faces party discipline over allegedly threatening Yusuf with violence. That kind of drama isn’t just bad for morale—it gives opponents ammunition right before crunch time at the ballot box.
For Nigel Farage, the timing could hardly be worse. Yusuf’s operational know-how and drive have underpinned efforts to move Reform from the fringes into mainstream contention. Farage now faces the prospect of campaign chaos, just when unity and discipline matter most. All eyes are on how quickly the party can recover—and if the cracks exposed by Yusuf’s exit will widen or close as Reform UK tries to cement a place on the national stage.