Nigel Farage has seen his Reform party descend into chaos after an MP’s question was branded ‘dumb’, the chairman quit with a scathing message and Labour unexpectedly triumphed in the Hamilton by-election
Nigel Farage may be wishing he had stayed on holiday.
Reform UK is in chaos after its chairman quit hours after accusing the party’s newest MP of asking a “dumb” question at PMQs. And shortly after it finished third in a hotly-contested by-election, despite being projected to beat Labour.
To make matters worse for Mr Farage there are reports of disgruntlement as big donations fail to materialise. Following a brutal few days, his former-ally-turned-nemesis Rupert Lowe said he “must never be Prime Minister”.
It raises further questions about Mr Farage’s ability to lead effectively as he tries to convince voters he can be trusted to run the country. Here we look at how the week unfolded for Mr Farage.
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Criticism over his holiday
Mr Farage arrived back in Parliament on Monday with criticism about his termtime holiday ringing in his ears. You’ll remember that he swanned off overseas rather than grill Keir Starmer about his EU reset agreement.
Despite griping about the deal on social media, Mr Farage had already headed off on holiday when the PM came to the Commons to ask questions. He was slammed for “sunning himself in Europe” and being a “part time leader”.
A Tory spokesman said “the part-time leader of Reform UK is sunning himself in Europe while Parliament is sitting”. He continued: “He clearly doesn’t have the stamina to stand up to Starmer.” And a Labour spokesman said: “Nigel Farage clearly cares so passionately about this issue he’s decided he can’t get up from his sunbed to represent his constituents or his party.
“He’s not a leader – he’s an opportunist who just talks Britain down whenever it suits him.”
MP demands Starmer does something Reform wouldn’t do either
Things got tasty at PMQs on Wednesday when Reform’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, stood up to ask her first question of Mr Starmer.
She demanded to know whether Mr Starmer would follow the lead of other countries in Europe and ban the burqa. Ms Pochin suggested it should be done in the name of “public safety”.
The problem is that her own party had not committed to doing it either – although colleagues have rolled in behind her. Mr Starmer said he was “not going to follow her down that line”.
Reform later clarified that banning the burqa was not one of its policies.
Chairman brands MP’s question ‘dumb’
The plot thickened when the party chairman, Zia Yusuf, publicly attacked Ms Pochin, branding her question “dumb”.
He posted on social media that he “learnt about the question and the party’s position re: it not being policy for the first time on my X feed”. But in a scathing conclusion he went on: “I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do.”
Yusuf quits with scathing verdict
Things went from bad to worse for Reform when Mr Yusuf decided he’d had enough. In a scathing post he said he no longer thought getting Reform into power was a “good use of my time”.
He had been brought in last year by Mr Farage to professionalise the party. But according to The Express he has been increasingly sidelined in recent weeks, setting the scene for a showdown with the leader.
Mr Yusuf posted on Twitter/X: “Eleven months ago I became chairman of Reform.
“I’ve worked full-time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results. I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.”
Labour win surprise by-election
Mr Farage started the week up in Scotland, where he may have been hopeful of an upset in the Hamilton by-election.
It was expected to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform, but in the early hours of Friday it was confirmed that Labour had won the seat. Reform were pushed back into third.
Mr Starmer said people had “voted for change” after Davy Russell won the Scottish Parliament seat. Mr Russell said the community had “sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight – the poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your division here.”
Frustration as donations do not materialise
There was more bad news for Mr Farage as reports emerged of disgruntlement with Reform’s new Treasurer.
Insiders griped to the Financial Times that big donations have failed to materialise since property tycoon Nick Candy took over the role. One of them told the newspaper: “He has been all talk and no trousers.”
Another senior figure said the party had “not been receiving as much as I’d like” in recent weeks. Reform UK has been contacted for comment.
Farage ‘must never be PM’ says former ally
Mr Farage’s spectacular fallout with Rupert Lowe is another headache to contend with.
You’ll remember he was suspended and reported to police over allegations about his behaviour toward Mr Yusuf. The investigation was closed with no further action.
The spat happened after Mr Lowe accused Mr Farage of acting like a “messiah” and venting frustration over his leadership. Reform insists the two things were not linked, but the battle looks set to continue for some time.
Meanwhile it’s fair to say Mr Lowe, who now sits as an independent MP, is enjoying what he sees. He posted on Twitter/X: “Farage says he would ‘rather eat razor blades’ than allow me back into Reform.
” Having sat with him as an MP for eight months, I’ve already got plenty of them in my back. Farage and his ego are together incapable of building a team. He must never be Prime Minister.”