Reform ‘Suspends Senior Figure’ After He Slams Zia Yusuf

Reform UK has suspended prominent board member Tim Montgomerie after he called out Zia Yusuf.

Montgomerie has been openly critical towards Reform’s home affairs spokesperson in recent months and doubled down on his attacks while recording the Spectator’s Coffee House Shots podcast recently.

He told the show that Yusuf has “consistently freelanced on Twitter” over major Reform policies, suggested “Nigel [Farage] has fallen out of love with Zia” and called for Yusuf to be more of a “team player”.

The Spectator’s deputy political editor James Heale then confirmed on Tuesday that Montgomerie was suspended as a party member after the podcast was recorded, but before it was posted online.

The now-suspended party member also told the Spectator that Yusuf “did not talk to me” for three months after he discovered Montgomerie had helped Robert Jenrick defect to Reform.

“A lot of people are on not-speaking terms with Zia and it’s nearly always Zia who initiates it,” he said. “It needs to end. You cannot behave like a child in politics.”

He also claimed Yusuf is not interested in Reform-curious voters and said his actions “make sense” in the context of his ambitions to succeed Farage as party leader.

Montgomerie and party leader Nigel Farage both criticised Yusuf last week after he accused former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace of being a “traitor” to the country.

Montgomerie then told the Spectator: “It was unprecedented for Farage to criticise him last week, but did he take down the tweet that Nigel criticised? No. He wouldn’t. He’s loyal to Nigel as he has to be if he wants to succeed him, but in terms of being able to really play as a team player…

“He has consistently freelanced on Twitter [X], on for example, accepting Conservative candidates, Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, even though he knew they were being wooed. But it was his way of trying to undermine that policy.”

Reform UK has been approached for comment.

A Labour source said: “Tim Montgomerie dared to say what we’re all thinking – Nigel Farage should have declared his secret £5 million gift. If Farage had nothing to hide, why is he being so defensive? What a snowflake.”

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