Reform UK's Muslim Frontman Pushes Hardline Immigration Agenda

Zia Yusuf, Nigel Farage’s senior deputy in Reform UK, has become one of the party’s most visible faces as it campaigns for a sweeping crackdown on immigration ahead of the next UK election, now due in 2029 but possibly sooner if Labour’s government weakens. Yusuf, who calls himself a “British Muslim patriot,” is being used by the party to blunt accusations that Reform is xenophobic or Islamophobic.

In a February policy speech, Yusuf demanded an emergency response to illegal migration, including a new body modeled on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “locate, detain and deport” illegal migrants. He also called for revoking visas already granted, said women and children could also be deported, urged Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, tighten maritime borders, and expand stop-and-search powers. He said, “Nobody is off the table,” though men would be the priority.

Yusuf also cast mass migration as a civilizational threat. He argued Britain is facing a “invasion,” saying nearly 200,000 people had crossed the English Channel in eight years, more than the D-Day landings at Normandy. He said Reform would defend Britain’s “Christian heritage” and, if it took power, block churches from being converted into mosques. He pointed to Muslim population growth from 2.7% in 2001 to 6% in the 2021 census, or about 4 million people, and cited a Pew forecast of 17% by 2050 under medium migration.

The 39-year-old businessman was born near Glasgow to Sri Lankan immigrants who arrived legally in the early 1980s. Educated at Hampton School, he worked at Goldman Sachs, co-founded Velocity Black, and sold it in 2023 for about £300 million. He donated £200,000 to Farage’s campaign in 2024, after which Reform won 4 million votes, 14.3%, but only five of 650 seats. Yusuf became party chairman in July 2024, then resigned in June 2025 amid internal disputes, only to return within 48 hours after Farage intervened.

Even after stepping back, Yusuf has continued attacking Conservatives and defending hardline positions, including support for banning the burka and other face coverings. He says he wants to move fast if Reform wins and would remove civil servants who try to obstruct mass deportations. On Israel, he has generally aligned with Reform’s pro-Israel stance, criticized Labour’s recognition of a Palestinian state, and recently denounced the Greens as a “toxic vehicle” for extremism and antisemitism.