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Former banker Zia Yusuf appeared on the British political scene last summer. Nigel Farage was tasked with turning the British party into a professional election machine that could gain real power.
Since his appointment as chairman of reform following a £200,000 donation, Yusuf has sought to direct the party with iron grips, fired staff, campaigners he deemed incompetent or inadequately committed.
Less than a year later, however, Yusuf himself has sacrificed the victims of internal tensions that plagued the right-wing populist parties, even if he led the national polls to unsettle the political establishment of mainstream Britain.
He resigned suddenly this week in a post from X, saying that helping to support reform is no longer the “effective use” of his time.
Allenbanks, a businessman and longtime Faragie associate supporting Brexit, told the Financial Times that Yusuf is a “workholic and control freak.”
“Champagne coke will fly at headquarters,” Banks said. Banks failed to reform the mayor of West England last month. Yusuf said, “He was driven, but he wasn’t very user-friendly.”
Yusuf suddenly resigned last week © Stefan Rousseau/PA
Yusuf’s exit came after he publicly criticised Sarah Pochin, the latest MP in the reform, and then asked “silly” questions about banning burkas in the House.
The former chair, a Muslim heritage, is no longer here, and some of the right-wing populist movements spies on the opportunity to ensure that reforms spend more time on debates on social issues.
The split at the top of the party is a sign of Farage’s first team’s instability, just months after the public fight to kick former reform MP Rupert Lowe out.
The reforms will have only five MPs and dozens of staff working from their London headquarters. It combines the infrastructure and employees needed to staff the 10 local governments seized in local elections in the UK last month.
Reform Councillor Sarah Pochin ©Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
One senior reformer figure said Yusuf “allied all within the party” by trying to control all activities. The person added that if Yusuf spoke to Farage without seeking permission first, he threatened to fire one employee.
Those who are being described on the issue have found tensions between former Goldman Sachs banker and entrepreneur Yusuf and party treasurer Nick Candy, and party treasurer Nick Candy, who rambled for a while.
Party officials and political analysts believe Yusuf’s departure is unlikely to create a major dent in reform and the popularity of Farage.
The popularity of reform has been driven primarily by anger and antipathy towards the ruling Labour and the leading opposition Conservative Party, and has been driven by the growing public’s frustration over the standard of living and stagnation against high levels of immigration.
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Yusuf’s friend said the division was largely caused by the clash of culture between the chairman’s corporate mindset and other parties.
“He came in and wanted a structure. He wanted people to have ownership and responsibility for the role and didn’t feel that was happening,” they said. “And people were really scary to him online.”
At 38, he was one of the only young, public figures in the party, and the only person not white. This is a huge loss at a time when reform is trying to attract the foundations of young, diverse voters.
There were early signs that he was unhappy. On Tuesday, he rejected a request from colleagues to make a media appearance over the weekend after being announced as head of the “Doctor of Government Efficiency” of reform, a mimicking of Elon Musk’s attack on US federal bureaucracy.
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The bank currently takes the reins in the Doge unit and has “a wider business experience,” so he claims he is better in the role than Yusuf.
Coincidentally, on the same day Yusuf’s departure, a gross nausea erupted between President Donald Trump and Musk.
It was hardly possible to slow the momentum of reform in British politics. “The media is always looking for signs of the end of these moves, but I think that’s just the beginning,” said one of the party’s biggest donors. “The only thing we do for reform is terrible for Farage. It’s still about him.”
