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Zia Yusuf <\/a>has resigned as the chairman of Reform<\/a> UK hours after a row within the party around banning burqas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Writing on X, Yusuf said: \u201c11 months ago I became Chairman of Reform. I\u2019ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It comes shortly after he hit out at Reform UK\u2019s new MP Sarah Pochin, who chose to use her first ever question to the prime minister in the Commons to question if the government will ban burqas. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Banning the burqa, which is typically worn by Muslim women to cover their whole bodies aside from their eyes, is not even Reform\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A spokesman told HuffPost UK the party wanted to see \u201ca national debate\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Right-wing media personality Katie Hopkins then asked on X if party chairman Zia Yusuf was behind that quote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yusuf quickly hit back on Thursday morning, writing: \u201cNothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn\u2019t policy. Busy with other stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He added: \u201cI do think it\u2019s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a separate post he wrote: \u201cJust to be clear, I learnt about the question and the party\u2019s position re it not being policy for the first time on my X feed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019m busy with UK DOGE,\u201d he noted, referring to Reform\u2019s plan to mimic Elon Musk\u2019s cost-cutting \u201cdepartment of government efficiency\u201d which advises the White House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meanwhile, Reform MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, wrote on X that the burqa should be banned, adding: \u201cNo one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Commenting on Yusuf\u2019s resignation, Reform leader Nigel Farage wrote: \u201cI am genuinely sorry that Zia Yusuf has decided to stand down as Reform UK Chairman.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs I said just last week, he was a huge factor in our success on May 1st and is an enormously talented person. Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Reform UK has been contacted for further comment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n