Richard Tice denies Reform UK in chaos after Zia Yusuf returns

Reform UK’s deputy chief Richard Tice has insisted the birthday celebration is aware of “exactly what it is doing” following a 48 hours wherein its chairman Zia Yusuf resigned, earlier than returning in a unique function.

On Thursday, Yusuf dramatically give up, pronouncing in a social media publish that looking to get the birthday celebration elected was once no longer “a good use of my time”.

However, two days later he mentioned he could be coming again to guide the birthday celebration’s unit tasked with figuring out spending cuts at councils, which is encouraged by way of the USA Department of Government Efficiency.

Tice informed the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that chairing the birthday celebration was once “a tough, brutal job” and Yusuf was once “essentially exhausted” after 11 months within the function.

“It’s a massive job, and as we were growing incredibly fast – essentially that job was too much for one person, so we’re reorganising.

“I’m overjoyed that Zia is staying with the birthday celebration and he’ll be specializing in our Doge unit.”

Yusuf announced his initial decision to quit in a social media post but did not expand on his reasons for leaving.

However, it came shortly after he criticised Sarah Pochin – Reform’s newest MP – who used her question at Prime Minister’s Question to ask if the government would ban the burka, a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers their face and body.

Asked about Pochin’s intervention on X, Yusuf – who is a Muslim – said: “Nothing to do with me. Had no thought in regards to the query nor that it wasn’t coverage.

“Busy with other stuff. I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do.”

Announcing his resolution to go back to the birthday celebration on Saturday, Yusuf mentioned his preliminary resignation was once “born of exhaustion” following “11 months [of] hard work and exhaustion”.

Party chief Nigel Farage mentioned Yusuf have been matter to “pretty vile abuse” including: “He overreacted to it and he admits himself it was a mistake.”

The Liberal Democrats mentioned Reform UK had been taking part in “musical chairman” whilst Labour characterized the occasions as a “humiliating hokey-cokey”.

Asked if it made the birthday celebration glance chaotic, Tice mentioned: “No, we know exactly what we’re doing.”

He persevered: “Zia was essentially exhausted because he’d been working 24/7 for the last 10 or 11 months voluntarily.

“There’s top drive, it is a large, difficult, brutal activity chairing a quick rising political birthday celebration. But it is nice information he is with us, on we move.”

The birthday celebration is predicted to nominate a brand new chairman and deputy chairman subsequent week.