UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf ruled out ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s inclusion in the party, calling him a historically damaging leader.
Reform UK’s chairman has dismissed the possibility of Boris Johnson joining the party, describing him as one of the “most damaging prime ministers.” He made it clear that Mr. Johnson would not be welcome in the Reform Party.
What did Zia Yusuf say about Boris Johnson and Kemi Badenoch?
Millionaire businessman Mr. Zia Yusuf, who is campaigning to make Nigel Farage Prime Minister, believes Kemi Badenoch’s leadership may be short-lived. He also argued that a deal with the Conservatives would push voters away from Reform UK.
He dismissed concerns regarding Boris Johnson making a political comeback as the Tory leader, stating that such a scenario would only “cement” the perception that the Conservative brand is irreparably tarnished.
Mr Yusuf firmly stated that Mr Johnson “would certainly not be welcome here,” adding,
“I think history will judge him as one of the most damaging prime ministers in this country’s history. The word you hear most often from people who support Reform when someone says Boris’s name is betrayal.”
He said,
“Nigel stood down candidates to ensure he won and kept Corbyn out because people wanted secure borders and they wanted immigration to come down. What did he do? He threw open our borders.”
Reform Chairman criticized Boris Johnson as an extreme advocate of net zero policies and argued that his return as Conservative leader would not change the party’s fate. He asserted,
“If he came back to lead the Tory party, it wouldn’t change the fact that the Conservative brand is broken—his presence would only reinforce that perception. The Tories have no chance of returning to government.”
He rejected the idea of a potential pact between Reform UK and the Tory party in the next election. He stressed that such an alliance would alienate a significant number of Reform voters, who would view it as a betrayal of the party’s core principles.
Reform leader made it clear that the party has no intention of any political partnership.
Mr Yusuf added,
“We don’t think we’ll need to. Look, we’ve gone from 14% in the general election eight months ago to 27%… Imagine where we’ll be in four years.”
Why does Zia Yusuf believe the Tories will change leaders again?
Mr Yusuf expressed doubts that Kemi Badenoch will retain her position as Conservative leader when the country heads to the polls.
He stated,
“Any organisation that has had six leaders in eight years doesn’t then have the same leader for four years,”
adding,
“The Conservative Party has an insoluble physics problem – half of the party are Lib Dems and the other half are small-c conservatives, many of whom have values which align well with us. So how can you lead such a party?”
What did Kemi Badenoch say about collaboration with Reform UK?
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has rejected calls for a potential electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s party, branding the suggestion as “for the birds.” She made it clear there is no room for discussion.
She warned that striking a deal with Reform UK would push away Tory voters who reject any alignment with Nigel Farage.
What did new polls suggest about Labour’s rise and Reform’s decline?
A new poll by Techne UK reveals that Labour has gained slight momentum, reaching 26%, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK trails closely at 25%. Meanwhile, the Tory party stands at the same level of 22% recorded in previous weeks.
The survey comes after Keir Starmer’s move to reduce international aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP and raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Last month, the YouGov poll revealed that Kemi Badenoch’s popularity had declined, with Nigel Farage overtaking her in favourability ratings. Her net favourability was -25 last month but has now fallen further to -29.
Mr Farage, who had a net favourable score of -32 last month, has now improved to -27.