Reform UK bombshell as new chairman was member of Tory party just six days ago
Zia Yusuf, a multi-millionaire tech donor, donated a six-figure sum to Reform in June despite being a paid-up member of the Tory party until just days ago.
Reform UK's new chairman Zia Yusuf was a member of the Conservative Party until last week, it's been revealed.
Conservative party chair Richard Fuller emailed Mr Yusuf, 37, to tell him his membership had been revoked last Friday, after being approached by The Guardian over whether it remained active.
Mr Yusuf, a multi-millionaire tech donor, donated a six-figure sum to Reform in June despite being a paid-up member of the Tory party at the time.
Despite the Conservative Party constitution barring members from publicly backing other parties, Mr Yusuf's membership meant he remained eligible to cast his ballot in the upcoming Tory leadership election until last Friday.
His membership wasn't cancelled by the party even after he laid into then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government in broadcast interviews while calling on voters to make Reform leader Nigel Farage the new PM.
Reform UK donor Zia Yusuf shares his immigration concerns
Speaking to The Guardian last week, Mr Yusuf said he had been a Conservative voter most of his life before campaigning for Reform:
He said: "They make it quite hard to actually cancel your membership. For all I know I might still have a direct debit with them."
Mr Yusaf told the outlet he began to turn away from the Tories during Boris Johnson's premiership, bizarrely suggesting his policies ended up being akin to those of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
"Boris had a walloping mandate. He came to power on the back of the promise that he would get Brexit done and then make the most of the opportunities that Brexit presented, and he really governed way further to the left than what he promised," he claimed.
He added: "If Jeremy Corbyn had come in and governed that way … that wouldn’t have been a betrayal."
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Mr Yusuf has previously left the door open to standing as an MP for Reform in 2029, telling GB News: "I’m going to help Reform in any way I can; the future of this country depends on it.
"I absolutely would not rule it out but right now I’m laser-focused on much nearer-term priorities."
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Zia Yusuf has had his party membership suspended. The party constitution does not permit you to be a member of the Conservative Party while publicly supporting another party."
Mr Yusuf's £200,000 donation to Reform UK in June was one of the biggest made by an individual in the campaign, Electoral Commission records show.
