REFORM UK BACKER QUITS AFTER ROW OVER PARTY LEADERSHIP

Tim Montgomerie, a senior figure and former key ally of Nigel Farage, has quit Reform UK following a public dispute within the party. Montgomerie was suspended last month after criticising Zia Yusuf, the party's home affairs spokesperson. He told the BBC this week that he had decided to leave the party altogether, stating that Reform UK wanted him to return "meekly", which he said he was "not prepared to do". Montgomerie defected to Reform UK in 2024 after 33 years as a Conservative.

Despite quitting the party, Montgomerie said he would still support Reform UK and called for Farage to assert control over internal divisions. He stated that Farage "needs to get a grip" and "needs to lead the party", and said the party leader should "bring people like Zia under control". Montgomerie had been openly critical of Yusuf in the weeks before his suspension, suggesting publicly that "Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia". The row originated when Farage publicly criticised Yusuf for calling former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace a "traitor" and for suggesting Wallace should be prosecuted over his role in Afghans arriving in Britain after the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In a post on X, Montgomerie said that although he still wants Farage to become prime minister, this will not be possible unless the party "rejects all imitations of Restore" and "professionalises its HQ urgently". He wrote that his non-member status now gives him a clearer platform to make these arguments. The dispute reflects wider tensions within the party over its direction and leadership following its recent growth in membership and political prominence.