An explosive row within Reform UK has burst into the open after the party’s leader Nigel Farage publicly slapped down one of his key allies for calling a former Tory defence secretary a “traitor”.
Mr Farage said his home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf had gone “over the top” in the attack on Ben Wallace, a former soldier who served in Northern Ireland.
Mr Yusuf had even suggested that he should be prosecuted for his role in Afghans coming to Britain after the UK’s withdrawal.
open image in galleryAsked about the “traitor” outburst, Mr Farage told The Sun: “That’s too strong a word. I shall give him a ticking off.”
He added: “I’ll speak to him today… it’s over the top.”
The attack erupted after Mr Wallace criticised Reform’s new pledge to deport all foreign nationals from Britain’s jails to countries including El Salvador.
Writing on X in response, Mr Yusuf said it was “incredible that this moron was defence secretary. Our policy today is in direct response to your government’s failures.”
He said the new policy “may well include some of the thousands of Afghans you imported, including those who had not been vetted properly and including Taliban fighters (!). You know, the ones you took a super injunction out to keep secret from the British people?
“That’s why I call you a traitor to Britain. You fit the dictionary definition.”
He also posted a poll in which he asked if the Tory politician should be “prosecuted for treason”.
open image in galleryEarlier, Tim Montgomerie, a commentator and high-profile Reform supporter said on X, formerly Twitter: “This isn’t acceptable from Zia… Zia’s language and attitude towards any opponent is inappropriate and counter-productive. Opponents are opponents… they aren’t enemies… or “moron”s.”
He added that “one of the biggest question marks over Nigel Farage’s leadership is whether he brings Zia under control. ZY is a man of huge talents but too much of his social media output is intemperate and reinforces Reform’s number one problem: our negative tactical voting challenge.”
He also said he had raised the issue “privately and repeatedly” with both men.
Labour MP Oliver Ryan called for Mr Yusuf to be sacked.
He said: “This Reform nonentity calling a former serving Captain in the Scots Guards, and former defence secretary, a “traitor to Britain” is a… disgrace. What happened to decency? Zia ought to be sacked from whatever made up Reform job he has.”
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