Why did Zia Yusuf resign as chairman of Reform UK?

6 June 2025, 09:38 | Updated: 6 June 2025, 12:44

About 15 minutes before Zia Yusuf's shock resignation, a few senior Reform figures were warned something was due to happen.

"It was a surprise, but we knew something was up," a senior party source tells me.

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Alongside Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, Mr Yusuf has been an increasingly recognisable face in Reform UK.

That was no accident: he was being put forward for more media interviews and was seen by some, including Mr Farage, as the future of the party.

So what went wrong? A senior source tells me Mr Yusuf "definitely was not pushed" and the situation was very different to the resignation of former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.