Millionaire businessman walks away from party he helped grow from 14% to 30% in polls after explosive row over Sarah Pochin’s PMQs bombshell
In a stunning blow to Nigel Farage’s political ambitions, Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has SENSATIONALLY resigned after just 11 months in the role – declaring that working to get the party elected is no longer “a good use of my time.”
The explosive departure comes just HOURS after the millionaire businessman publicly branded his own MP’s call to ban the burka as “dumb” – exposing a damaging rift at the heart of Britain’s surging populist party.
Yusuf, 38, who sold his tech startup for over £200 million and worked as an unpaid volunteer to quadruple Reform’s membership, announced his shock resignation on social media this afternoon in a move that has left the party reeling.
The dramatic exit follows a bitter public spat with Reform’s newest MP Sarah Pochin, who stunned Westminster yesterday by using her FIRST EVER question at PMQs to demand Sir Keir Starmer ban Muslim face coverings “in the interests of public safety.
‘I’VE HAD ENOUGH’ – YUSUF’S BOMBSHELL STATEMENT
In an extraordinary resignation statement posted on X at 5:32pm, Yusuf didn’t pull his punches:
11 months ago I became Chairman of Reform. I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, 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.
The terse statement – notably lacking any thanks to Farage or the party – has sent shockwaves through Reform UK, which currently LEADS Labour in national polls and appeared on the cusp of a historic breakthrough.
THE BURKA BAN BOMBSHELL
The final straw appears to have been yesterday’s Commons chaos when Sarah Pochin – who won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just SIX votes last month – asked Starmer:
Given the Prime Minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he, in the interests of public safety, follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burka?”
Her question was met with audible GASPS and groans from MPs across the chamber, with Starmer dismissively responding: “I’m not going to follow her down that line.
But the real drama unfolded on social media when far-right commentator Katie Hopkins mockingly asked if Yusuf – a self-described “proud British Muslim patriot” – was behind a party spokesman’s statement that the burka ban was “not party policy.
YUSUF’S FURIOUS RESPONSE
The Sri Lankan-born businessman, whose parents both worked for the NHS, hit back furiously:
“Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn’t policy. Busy with other stuff.”
He then delivered the killer blow: “I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do.
Adding insult to injury, he revealed: “Just to be clear, I learnt about the question and the party’s position re it not being policy for the first time on my X feed.”
PARTY IN CHAOS
The resignation has exposed a damaging split within Reform UK over the burka issue:
- Lee Anderson backed Pochin, declaring: “Ban the burka? Yes we should. No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public”
- Richard Tice, deputy leader, called Pochin’s question “brilliant
- Nigel Farage said the issue “deserves a debate” but stopped short of backing a ban
- Dame Andrea Jenkyns went further, calling for a ban on “all face coverings
FARAGE ‘GENUINELY SORRY’
A clearly rattled Nigel Farage attempted damage control, writing:
I am genuinely sorry that Zia Yusuf has decided to resign as Chairman of Reform UK. As I said just last week, he was a huge factor in our success on May 1st and is an enormously talented person.
Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game, and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life.”
FROM TORY TO REFORM… TO EXIT
Yusuf’s journey from Conservative Party member to Reform UK chairman to political exile has been meteoric:
- July 2024: Appointed Reform chairman after donating £200,000 to the party’s election campaign
- May 2025: Helps deliver stunning victories including a by-election win, two mayoral races, and 677 new councillors
- June 2025: Quits in disgust after just 11 months
The former Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch banker, educated at the exclusive Hampton School on a scholarship, had been instrumental in professionalizing Reform’s operations and securing major donors.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Sources close to the party suggest tensions had been building for months:
- Yusuf faced criticism for “centralizing power” within the party
- Some grassroots members questioned his strategic decisions
- His focus on creating a UK version of Elon Musk’s “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency) was seen as a distraction
- The burka row appears to have been the final straw
POCHIN DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL QUESTION
Sarah Pochin, the former Conservative councillor who defected to Reform, claimed she was simply asking a question from constituents.
“Thank you to everyone who sent in questions for the prime minister. I’ve chosen one and will be asking it just after 12 noon today,” she posted before PMQs.
Critics branded her intervention “pathetic,” “daft,” and “divisive,” with one Labour MP saying “no one raised that issue with me” when campaigning in her constituency.
REFORM’S FUTURE IN DOUBT
With Reform UK currently polling at 30% – AHEAD of Labour nationally – Yusuf’s resignation couldn’t come at a worse time for Farage’s ambitions.
The party faces crucial questions:
- Who will replace Yusuf as chairman?
- Can the party unite after this public split?
- Will the burka controversy damage Reform’s appeal to Muslim voters?
- Is this the beginning of a wider exodus?
THE MUSLIM QUESTION
Yusuf’s departure raises uncomfortable questions about Reform UK’s relationship with British Muslims.
As a successful Muslim businessman who described himself as a “patriot,” Yusuf was seen as proof that Reform wasn’t just for white voters.
His public row with MPs calling for burka bans – and his description of such calls as “dumb” – suggests deep divisions over how the party approaches religious minorities.
LABOUR GLOATS
Labour sources could barely contain their glee at Reform’s implosion, with one insider telling reporters: “This shows what Reform really is – a party that can’t even agree on its own policies and drives out anyone who questions their dog-whistle politics.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson twisted the knife on GB News this morning, declaring: “Women can make their own choices as to what they want to wear.
As Reform UK faces its biggest crisis since Farage’s return as leader, one thing is clear: the party that seemed on the verge of reshaping British politics is now fighting for its very soul.
And with Zia Yusuf walking away in disgust, that fight just got a lot harder.
