Reform UK has suspended prominent supporter Tim Montgomerie as a party member after he labelled Zia Yusuf a ‘child’.
Sources confirmed the action was taken against the political commentator prior to the publication of a podcast episode.
Mr Montgomerie, 56, used his appearance on The Spectator’s Coffee House Shots to continue his recent criticism of Mr Yusuf, saying that he ‘cannot behave like a child in politics’.
He revealed that Mr Yusuf, who is Reform’s home affair spokesman, did not talk to him for three months when he discovered he was involved in former Tory minister Robert Jenrick‘s defection to Reform.
Mr Montgomerie also agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf.
It comes after Mr Montgomerie last week rebuked Mr Yusuf over his ‘intemperate’ use of social media.
He also criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency.
Reform UK has suspended prominent supporter Tim Montgomerie as a party member after he branded Zia Yusuf a ‘child’
Mr Montgomerie agreed with recent claims that Reform leader Nigel Farage has ‘fallen out of love’ with Mr Yusuf
Mr Montgomerie last week criticised Mr Farage for skipping the formal declaration of the Clacton by-election result, which saw him re-elected to the Essex constituency
It is said that Mr Montgomerie was suspended after the podcast was recorded but before it was published online.
Mr Montgomerie is the founder and former editor of the ConservativeHome website who briefly served as an adviser to Boris Johnson when he was prime minister.
He quit the Tories in December 2024 and joined Reform.
Speaking about Mr Yusuf, Mr Montgomerie told the podcast: ‘There are a lot of people who are on not-speaking terms with Zia and it’s nearly always Zia who initiates it.
‘It needs to end. You cannot behave like a child in politics. You cannot have litmus tests, so many litmus tests where you stop talking to people.’
However, he praised Mr Yusuf’s behind-the-scenes work within Reform, following his 11-month spell as party chairman between 2024 and 2025.
‘I genuinely pay tribute to Zia… he made the party organisation work,’ he added. ‘He has so many qualities, but he has to be a team player.’
Mr Yusuf was caught up in a furious row last week when he labelled former Tory defence secretary and ex-soldier Ben Wallace a ‘traitor to Britain’.
The social media remarks prompted Mr Farage to say he would give Mr Yusuf ‘a ticking off’.
Reflecting on the incident, Mr Montgomerie said: ‘It was unprecedented for Farage to criticise him [Mr Yusuf] 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, like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, even though he knew they were being wooed. But it was his way of trying to undermine that policy.’
Mr Montgomerie also reflected on a report by The Mail on Sunday that allies are urging Mr Farage to ‘reboot’ Reform by dismissing Mr Yusuf.
A source told the newspaper: ‘Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia, who is out of control. I think his days are numbered.’
Mr Montgomerie said: ‘There were reports at the weekend… that talked about Nigel falling out of love with Zia. I think that’s true.
‘I think Nigel will definitely want to keep him in the camp but I think he needs him to basically be a team player and be loyal to what Nigel wants.’
Mr Montgomerie recently criticised Mr Farage’s ‘puzzling’ decision not to attend the declaration of the Clacton by-election result.
The Reform leader took the unprecedented step of skipping the formal result declaration in the early hours of Friday, with his party claiming police had advised him to stay away due to a ‘credible threat’.
But, Essex Police later denied that it had told any of the 34 candidates that they should not attend Clacton Leisure Centre, insisting security at the venue was ‘robust’.
Last month, Mr Montgomerie said Mr Farage ‘cannot hide away’ from questions about his £5million donation from a Thailand-based crypto-billionaire.
Mr Farage resigned as an MP to trigger last week’s Clacton by-election, which he cast as a ‘people versus the Establishment’ contest against a background of growing scrutiny over a gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne.
