Reform UK has suspended a high-profile supporter and one-time Farage ally after he criticised the party’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf for not being a “team player”.
Tim Montgomerie, a commentator and senior party figure, has been openly critical of Mr Yusuf in recent weeks and suggested in a podcast that “Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia”.
Nigel Farage hit out at Mr Yusuf for calling a former Tory defence secretary a “traitor” and suggesting that Ben Wallace should be prosecuted for his role in Afghans coming to Britain after the UK’s withdrawal.
Reform UK has now confirmed Mr Montgomerie has been suspended from the party.
Speaking on The Spectator’s Coffee House Shots podcast, Mr Montgomerie said: “It was unprecedented for Farage to criticise him last week, but did he take down the tweet that Nigel criticised? No. He wouldn’t. He’s loyal to Nigel as he has to be if he wants to succeed him, but in terms of being able to really play as a team player...
“He has consistently freelanced on Twitter, on, for example, accepting Conservative candidates, Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, even though he knew they were being wooed. But it was his way of trying to undermine that policy.”
It is understood he was notified of his suspension before the podcast was broadcast, after having publicly criticised the party on many occasions.
Responding to his suspension, Mr Montgomerie claimed Nigel Farage did not know about his suspension, as he accused someone within the party of leaking the news.
Saying he would appeal the suspension, he said in a video posted to X: “ Over the last two years, I have given my everything really to support Reform, and if they want to kick me out, they're going to have to kick me out after an argument.”
He added: “I take some comfort from the fact that Nigel Farage did not know about my suspension, and he more than anyone knows all the stuff I've done behind the scenes to help Reform.”
He also revealed on the podcast that Mr Yusuf “did not talk to me” for three months after the home affairs spokesperson found out he had helped Robert Jenrick defect to Reform, and accused him of behaving “like a child”.
“A lot of people are on not-speaking terms with Zia, and it’s nearly always Zia who initiates it,” he said.
“It needs to end. You cannot behave like a child in politics.”
A senior Reform source said: “The General Secretary and Chairman have had months of complaints regarding Tim’s behaviour and conduct. They saw fit to take action and protect the party.
“Reform will never engage the Tory briefing wars and toxicity that goes with them - the correct course of action has been taken. Disagreements should happen behind closed doors, not in the eye of the national media.”
Last week, Mr Montgomerie criticised Mr Yusuf for his attack on Ben Wallace, a former soldier who served in Northern Ireland.
He said on X, formerly Twitter: “This isn’t acceptable from Zia... Zia’s language and attitude towards any opponent is inappropriate and counter-productive. Opponents are opponents... they aren’t enemies... or “morons”.”
He added that “one of the biggest question marks over Nigel Farage’s leadership is whether he brings Zia under control. ZY is a man of huge talents, but too much of his social media output is intemperate and reinforces Reform’s number one problem: our negative tactical voting challenge.”
Nigel Farage later said his home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf had gone “over the top”, telling The Sun: “That’s too strong a word. I shall give him a ticking off.”
Last month, Mr Montgomerie admitted the Reform UK leader “cannot hide away” from growing questions over the £5m donation from Christopher Harborne, made weeks before Mr Farage stood in the 2024 general election.
After Mr Farage insisted “no one cares” about the money, and when asked by BBC Breakfast how much of the gift he had spent, said: “It’s none of your business,” Mr Montgomerie said: “Well, that wasn’t Nigel Farage’s best interview performance, let’s put it that way. He cannot hide away from this issue.
“People do not normally get a £5m gift. We get a box of chocolates, we get a bottle of champagne.”
