Zia Yusuf - Home Affairs Spokesperson | Reform Watch
Profile and accountability tracker for Zia Yusuf, Home Affairs Spokesperson. null.
Role: Home Affairs Spokesperson
Recorded incidents (showing 1-10 of 15)
Zia Yusuf accuses Andy Burnham of inciting disorder
Category: xenophobia
Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesperson, told LBC that Prime Minister Andy Burnham was directly inciting disorder in British coastal communities. He said migrants arriving in Portsmouth were unvetted and asserted they were from nationalities more likely to commit sex crimes. His remarks were made while discussing anti-migrant protests in Portsmouth, where police launched an investigation after officers were injured and several vehicles were damaged. A government spokesperson condemned the intimidating and thuggish behaviour at the protest and thanked emergency services; Yusuf also set out Reform proposals to use the Royal Marines to prevent small-boat landings and to detain and deport unauthorised arrivals.
Zia Yusuf defends masked anti-migrant protesters
Category: social media conduct
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, defended balaclava‑wearing protesters who blocked small boat arrivals in Dover and obstructed coaches in Portsmouth, making comments on X and during a visit to Portsmouth. He met protest organiser Daniel Thomas, said he would take the protesters' messages back to party leader Nigel Farage, and relayed claims the protesters had been instructed not to take drugs, drink, shout or carry out acts of violence. The statements followed a public condemnation of the masked protesters by Nigel Farage, who called for a ban on full‑face coverings, and were contrasted with comments from Reform's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick urging police to arrest people who block everyday life. The exchange intensified internal tensions within Reform; no disciplinary action against Yusuf was announced and he continues as the party's home affairs spokesperson.
Zia Yusuf described migrants as invaders and accused the state of state-sponsored thuggery
Category: xenophobia
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK spokesperson for home affairs, gave an interview in Portsmouth in which he described migrants escorted by police as invaders and accused the state of state-sponsored thuggery. He urged the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to stop what he called an invasion and advocated use of Reform UK's proposed Operation Fortress, saying the navy and marines should intercept vessels and the military should be deployed. Yusuf also cited Ministry of Justice data about offending rates among men from countries such as Afghanistan while arguing for tougher measures. The comments followed the arrival of around 140 migrants in Portsmouth that was publicly highlighted by Councillor George Madgwick, who said the subsequent protests were justified while urging respect for emergency services. The Operation Fortress policy Yusuf referenced was recently unveiled by Nigel Farage, and Yusuf continued to promote the policy and the party's hardline approach to small boat crossings in his role as Reform UK spokesperson.
Zia Yusuf highlighted the Somali birthplace of a Labour by-election contender
Category: xenophobia
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's spokesperson for home affairs, posted on X that the front runner "being foisted on the people of Holborn by Labour to replace the former Prime Minister Keir Starmer in our Parliament was born in Somalia", adding "Do you understand what's happening?" The post referred to Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Labour councillor and council leader in Camden seeking the party's nomination for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Yusuf followed it with a further post repeating the reference to her country of birth. Abdi-Wali came to the UK as a child and has served as an elected councillor in Camden. Labour figures and other commentators said the posts were racist because they treated a candidate's country of birth as disqualifying. Yusuf did not withdraw or amend the posts, which remained online, and Reform UK took no disciplinary action.
Sources: https://x.com/ZiaYusufUK/status/2095196271522808267 https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/zia-yusuf-accused-of-racism-over-attack-on-labour-council-leader_uk_6a990a8fe4b0e51a2d9155fb
Zia Yusuf criticised plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers in Piddington
Category: xenophobia
Zia Yusuf criticised plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers in Piddington, saying residents were terrified and accusing the government of dumping unvetted men into the village. He said the arrival would transform the local community and its children. The comments employed fear-based language about asylum seekers and the host community. No party disciplinary action or official response was reported.
Zia Yusuf criticised over social media conduct and alleged role in Montgomerie suspension
Category: social media conduct
Zia Yusuf posted confrontational messages on X/Twitter, including a post describing himself as a "lethal electoral threat", and his behaviour on the platform was described as a public meltdown. Tim Montgomerie was suspended from Reform UK after criticising Yusuf, and there was speculation within and beyond the party that Nigel Farage had not been informed of the suspension. The sequence of events prompted debate on social media about Yusuf's conduct and influence within the party. Tim Montgomerie issued a personal statement about his suspension and questioned Yusuf's suitability for senior roles. Yusuf is identified as Reform UK's Home Affairs spokesperson. The episode has intensified internal divisions within the party and drawn public attention to its internal discipline and communications.
Zia Yusuf rebuked by Nigel Farage after calling Ben Wallace a 'traitor'
Category: inflammatory language
On 16 August 2026 Zia Yusuf, Reform UK home affairs spokesman, described former Conservative defence secretary Ben Wallace as a "traitor to Britain" on social media. The comment prompted public criticism and reports that party leader Nigel Farage might discipline or dismiss Yusuf; Farage said the language was "too strong" and that he would "give him a ticking off". The remarks followed recent comments from Yusuf and Reform suggesting hostile rhetoric against them could put members at risk. A source said Yusuf's "days are numbered", but Yusuf denied he would be removed and said he was not going anywhere; Farage said he would speak to Yusuf but no formal disciplinary action had been announced.
Zia Yusuf threatens Vodafone directors with jail over migrant SIM cards
Category: intimidation bullying
On 13 August 2026 Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, posted on X and sent a letter to Vodafone’s board warning that executives who supply SIM cards to migrants would be made "personally and criminally liable" and could face prison. He targeted Vodafone over its supply of 2,221 SIM cards to the charity Care4Calais, accusing the company of assisting illegal migrants into the UK. Yusuf described Care4Calais as "not a charity" and a "facilitator of illegal migration" and demanded Vodafone stop supplying SIMs to the group. He said a future Reform government would pass a "Polanski Law" to criminalise acts that assist illegal entry, punishable by two years' imprisonment, and vowed to hold "each every officer and director" personally and criminally liable.
Zia Yusuf proposes criminalising aid to migrants and calls arrivals an 'invasion'
Category: xenophobia
On 10 August 2026 Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, announced plans to criminalise any act that assists or encourages illegal entry, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment. He referred to the charity Care4Calais as a 'facilitator of illegal migration' and described the arrival of asylum seekers as an 'invasion'. Reform UK confirmed the proposal, and Yusuf said sending foreign offenders to prisons overseas would 'not be cruel' while creating thousands of jail places. Critics warned the plan would threaten charity workers and volunteers who provide humanitarian aid and could criminalise ordinary acts of assistance.
Zia Yusuf proposes deporting foreign prisoners to El Salvador
Category: xenophobia
On 9 August 2026 Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's Home Affairs spokesperson, announced the party would change the law so serious offenders serve full sentences and that it would deport foreign nationals from UK prisons. Yusuf said that if home countries would not take them back, Reform would send them to serve sentences in countries such as El Salvador and Kosovo and would rent prison space abroad. Human Rights Watch has documented torture, ill-treatment, severe due process violations and inhumane conditions in El Salvador's prisons, and the UK government's travel advice warns that prison facilities there are known for mistreatment that can result in death. The proposal drew criticism from a Labour spokesperson as lacking serious answers; the policy remains at the party proposal stage.