Nigel Farage said Zia Yusuf is a “loss” to Reform UK after he quit as the party’s chairman. Mr Yusuf announced that he was resigning following a row that erupted over new Reform MP Sarah Pochin calling for a burka ban during PMQs.

Speaking on GB News, the Reform UK leader said: “I’m sad that he’s going, I’m sad for the party because he leaves a gap. I’m sad for him, actually. I spoke to him yesterday morning and I felt he’s really had enough of all of this. Then Sarah Pochin asked that question in the Commons. He then put a sort of slightly intemperate tweet out that I could tell reading that tweet. I just thought he’s not coming in tomorrow.

“So he disagreed, he thought Sarah shouldn’t have asked a question about the burka. I mean there’s a debate around that, you know, whether is it a main priority, etc.

“But look, I’m sad. I think public life has lost somebody very talented, and somebody who’s come from within the ethnic minorities and is intensely patriotic about this country.

“I suspect that he thought it just wasn’t one of our priorities. We’ve got other things to do and things to talk about, the cost of living, prices, the net zero madness, the channel open borders for the population explosion, the NHS not working.

“So it’s right to have a debate about this. Zia didn’t like it, obviously, but no, I think before she said that, he pretty much, he’s had enough. And can I just tell you that it’s 100 hours a week, it’s seven days a week. It is totally unrelenting.

“On X in particular, is full of vile trolls, particularly the alt right types, who have been just outright horrific towards Zia right from the very start. And I think he’s just said to himself, you know what, there are other things I can do with my life.

“I’ve noticed over my career in politics, a lot of people have been very successful in business, particularly entrepreneurs, they come into politics, and they find it very, very frustrating.

“The rift with Rupert Lowe was not anything to do with it. We all had a rift with Rupert Lowe. Rupert’s behaviour was unacceptable at so many levels so this wasn’t just Zia – all of us found him impossible. So, you know, that was that.

“When people have exceptional strengths in some areas of their life or other areas where perhaps they’re not quite so strong. I think, in terms of dealing with staff, etc, there was a bit of a Goldman Sachs type mentality. I mean, politics is different.

“And I think when you come from the background, he comes from, say, Goldman Sachs, where he worked, it is a really tough, brutal environment. Politics isn’t like that. Politics isn’t just about creating a financial bottom line, it’s about doing things that are thoughtful, creative and different.“So were his interpersonal skills at the top of his list of attributes? No. But I always found with me, he was very polite, very objective in conversations that I had.”

Mr Yusuf said he had decided that working to get the insurgent party elected was no longer “a good use of my time”.

He wrote on X: “11 months ago I became chairman of Reform. I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.

“I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.”

Mr Yusuf earlier branded Ms Pochin’s PMQs question “dumb” as banning the face covering is not official Reform policy.

He said: “Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn’t policy. 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.”

Speaking during PMQs, Ms Pochin said: “Given the Prime Minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he in the interests of public safety follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burka?”