Political reporter
Historical past will choose Boris Johnson as one of the vital damaging prime ministers in British historical past, Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has mentioned.
Yusuf advised the PRESSHARK’s Political Pondering podcast Johnson wouldn’t be welcome to affix Reform UK.
The Reform UK chairman criticised Johnson’s report on the Covid pandemic, immigration and public spending when he was prime minister between 2019 and 2022.
Yusuf mentioned there was “nothing Conservative” about Johnson and branded the Tories an “extraordinarily left-wing celebration” in authorities.
The PRESSHARK has requested Johnson’s spokesperson for remark.
The celebration chairman spoke to the PRESSHARK’s Nick Robinson days after Reform UK topped a YouGov opinion ballot for the primary time, edging in entrance of Labour on 24% and the Tories on 21%.
The rebranded Brexit Occasion got here third in final yr’s normal election, with 14% of the vote, however solely gained 5 MPs, together with celebration chief Nigel Farage.
Yusuf mentioned if there was a normal election tomorrow, the polling suggests Reform UK would win between 140 to 200 seats within the Home for Commons.
He claimed Reform UK would win as much as 400 seats on the subsequent normal election, though there isn’t a polling to again that up.
At a brand new convention this week, Yusuf mentioned Reform UK had nearly 200,000 members, which is much greater than the quantity declared by the Conservative Occasion.
The PRESSHARK has been advised Boris Johnson had lunch with Reform UK’s most important fundraiser Nick Sweet, who can be an outdated pal, in Mayfair in late January.
However Yusuf advised Nick Robinson he wouldn’t need the previous PM to affix Reform UK.
“Historical past will choose Boris Johnson as one of the vital damaging prime ministers on this nation’s historical past,” he mentioned.
The rise in internet migration throughout Johnson’s premiership was “a complete betrayal of everyone who voted for Brexit, ” he added.
“He took public spending near Soviet Union spending.
“So there was nothing Conservative about him.”
In contrast, Yusuf heaped reward on former Dwelling Secretary Suella Braverman and mentioned she can be welcome in Reform UK.
He mentioned he had had a number of conferences with Braverman, whom he mentioned had been “excommunicated” and made a “pariah” by the Conservatives, regardless of what he mentioned have been her far-sighted views on immigration.
A former banker who offered his tech start-up firm for greater than £200m, Yusuf described himself as a “proud British Muslim patriot”, including that his religion was essential to him and he noticed Ramadan.
He grew to become Reform UK’s chairman shortly after final yr’s normal election, after beforehand being a member of the Conservative Occasion.
He revealed that he had donated £200,000 to the celebration through the marketing campaign.
As celebration chairman, he was given the job of professionalising the celebration, wooing donors and growing Reform UK’s activist base.
He advised Nick Robinson Reform UK solely had 24 staff and “individuals do not fairly recognize what has been achieved in such a short while”.
“A lot of what we do is about laying the foundations for generations to return,” he added.
Kemi Badenoch denied plans to make it more durable for migrants to achieve British citizenship – which was her first main polcy annoucement as Tory chief – was a response to the rise of Reform UK.
She dismissed its surge within the polls, saying she might bear in mind when one other rebel celebration, the SDP, was “at 50% within the polls” within the Eighties, and insisted her celebration was concentrating on “doing the pondering” on insurance policies that will enhance lives.
Labour can be more and more turning its fireplace on Reform UK, with Sir Keir Starmer attacking Farage’s stance on NHS funding at this week’s prime minister’s questions.
You possibly can take heed to the Political Pondering with Nick Robinson on PRESSHARK Radio 4 on Saturday at 17:30 GMT or on PRESSHARK Sounds.
