Nigel Farage has been hit by a fresh internal row after Reform UK figure Zia Yusuf was accused of “running to replace him” as party leader. Mr Yusuf, a multi-millionaire businessman and Reform’s home affairs spokesman, is leading the party’s campaign on immigration and the Channel small boats crisis. But some Reform supporters suspect he could have leadership ambitions if Mr Farage eventually stands aside. The controversy erupted after Mr Yusuf posted a 3.35-minute video on X on the morning he was due to deliver his keynote speech at Reform’s annual rally in Birmingham. Titled “This is my story”, the clip offered an unusually personal account of his background, family, childhood, first job and the business he built in London, which now employs hundreds of people. “I always had this sense that if I worked hard, if I did the right thing, then I'd get rewarded in this country, and that turned out to be true,” Mr Yusuf said. But the format immediately raised eyebrows. Profile videos of this kind are often associated with politicians seeking to become party leaders or win elections, prompting questions about whether Mr Yusuf was positioning himself for a bigger role. Tim Montgomerie, founder of the ConHome website and a figure recently suspended by Reform, was among those to respond. He told Mr Yusuf on X: “The sooner @Nigel_Farage realises this man is running to replace him as leader, the better.” The intervention landed at a particularly sensitive moment for Reform. Mr Yusuf is already a controversial figure within the party after previously resigning as chairman following his criticism of Sarah Pochin’s call for a burka ban. Mr Yusuf had described the proposal as “dumb”. He was subsequently reinstated in another key role, keeping him firmly at the centre of Reform’s political operation. Now the latest leadership speculation comes as Mr Farage faces what has been described as his biggest crisis. An undercover sting operation targeting the Reform leader and the party’s funding triggered claims aired in a Channel 4 news documentary about possible breaches of political party funding laws. Labour and other parties called for the Metropolitan Police to investigate the allegations. Mr Farage and Reform have denied any wrongdoing. Against that backdrop, Mr Yusuf used his conference speech to double down on the issue that has become central to his role: immigration. He told Reform supporters that he would ensure Britain had “the most secure borders on Earth”. He repeated Reform’s promises to deploy the Royal Navy to prevent small boat crossings in the Channel and deport people who entered Britain illegally. “We will go from having open borders to the most secure borders on Earth,” he declared. Mr Yusuf then outlined an expansive deportation policy. “We will launch the largest mass deportation operation in modern history, removing every foreign national who entered this country illegally,” he said. His proposals also targeted foreign criminals. Mr Yusuf said Reform would immediately end the early release of violent offenders, rapidly expand prison capacity and deport all 10,000 foreign criminals currently in British prisons. He added that if those offenders’ home countries refused to accept them, Reform would send them to serve their sentences in countries such as El Salvador. The leadership row therefore comes with Mr Yusuf increasingly visible at the heart of Reform’s immigration campaign. His personal profile video, his prominent conference role and the timing of the controversy have now put renewed attention on the question of what happens if Farage eventually leaves the leadership. For now, however, the accusation remains just that: a claim made by a recently suspended Reform figure and suspicion among some party supporters. Mr Farage remains Reform’s leader, while Mr Yusuf continues to occupy a senior role and promote the party’s hardline immigration agenda. Nigel Farage hit by Zia Yusuf 'running to replace him' row
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