Is Reform cracking up? |
There is something sulphurous about Zia Yusuf. The deep-set, unblinking eyes; the ardent belief in his own mission; the position as a Rasputin at the court of Tsar Nigel Farage; a fervid, prophetic interloper. When not prowling the streets of Dover, hunting for an aquatic Afghan to harangue, Yusuf seems to spend his time falling out with his Reform colleagues, having rings run around him by the former editor of this magazine on panels, and speaking about new arrivals with an acidity that only a second-generation immigrant can command. Reader, he terrifies me.
I’m no great fan of Ben Wallace; the Afghan resettlement cover-up was a national disgrace. But as Stephen Pollard has written, Yusuf’s branding of him as a ‘traitor’ was a step too far: nasty for the sake of being nasty. It was little surprise when the papers reported that Farage has given him a ‘ticking off’. In his Coffee House Shots showing yesterday, Tim Montgomerie made clear that Yusuf has been acting like a petulant child, ignoring those who dare to take a different view, lashing out at those colleagues who disagree with him, more interested in promoting himself within Reform than working towards entering government.
I remain to be convinced that Nigel Farage actually wants to be prime minister
I remain to be convinced that Nigel Farage actually wants to be prime minister
But clearly all this does something for Reform supporters. As Ed Shackle has highlighted, ask the party’s voters who they would want to lead if Farage was knocked down by a bus tomorrow........