Chairman of Reform UK resigns

The chairman of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, has resigned.

Mr Yusuf said in a post on X that working to get the party elected is no longer "a good use of my time". He said: "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." Politics latest: PM dodges more questions on benefits It comes after a row in which he described a question to Sir Keir Starmer about a ban on burkas from his party's newest MP Sarah Pochin as "dumb".

A senior Reform source has said Mr Yusuf "definitely was not pushed" and made the decision to leave himself. They added that he also "wasn't pushed aside and still had full control" of the party before his departure.

Instead, they suggested that "even before [the burka comment], he was just sick of it all" and had become "sick" of receiving abuse online, but that his relationship with Nigel Farage remains "absolutely fine". Many credited businessman Mr Yusuf with professionalising the party's operations after they secured millions of votes at last year's general election.

Read more:Can chancellor take advantage of Farage mistake?Charges against Rupert Lowe dropped Reacting to the news, party leader Nigel Farage said: "I am genuinely sorry that Zia Yusuf has decided to stand down as Reform UK chairman. "As I said just last week, he was a huge factor in our success on 1 May 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." Deputy leader Richard Tice said the party would "not be where we are today without him".

Rupert Lowe, a former Reform MP, was less complimentary. He said: "The question is - how did a man with no political experience be given such vast power within Reform?" Mr Lowe added that he is still taking legal action against Mr Yusuf.

In March, Reform referred Mr Lowe to police over allegations including threats of physical violence against Mr Yusuf. Prosecutors later said they would not bring charges against Mr Lowe, who was suspended by the party.

The latest row in the party stemmed from the newly elected Reform MP asking a question to the prime minister in the Commons on Wednesday. She asked if the burka would be banned "in the interests of public safety".

????Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app???? Sir Keir Starmer declined to "follow her down that line.