Reform UK Policy Chief Dismisses Jailed Former Colleague as 'Ancient History'
Reform UK's head of policy, Zia Yusuf, has publicly distanced the party from its former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, who was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison for accepting bribes to make pro-Russian statements. Mr Yusuf described Gill as a figure from the distant past, despite the severity of the crimes.
A 'Treasonous' and 'Horrific' Act
Speaking on Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Yusuf was challenged on why the public should trust Reform UK's stance on Russia given that one of their senior figures had taken money from Russian sources. He responded by condemning Gill's actions in the strongest terms. "Nathan Gill, what he did was treasonous. It was horrific. It was awful," Mr Yusuf stated. He emphasised that Gill had now been "dealt with by the authorities" and deserved his lengthy prison sentence.
Mr Yusuf went further to separate the current party from the scandal, noting that he had never met Gill and was unaware of him until his name appeared in news reports concerning the conviction. He argued that it was "unreasonable to besmirch everybody else at Reform" and the millions who support the party and its leader, Nigel Farage.
Political Fallout and Calls for Investigation
The case has triggered a significant political row, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer directly challenging Nigel Farage. While attending the G20 Summit in South Africa, Sir Keir demanded that the Reform UK leader launch a full investigation into his party's Russian connections. He highlighted the seriousness of the 10-and-a-half-year sentence and stated that Gill's actions had "undermined our country."
Sir Keir pressed Mr Farage to explain "how that happened, that this was happening in his party? And what other links are there between Reform and Russia?"
In a retaliatory move, Mr Farage countered that Sir Keir should instead investigate the Labour Party's own links with the Chinese Communist Party.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, also entered the fray, pointing out that Mr Farage had previously been a paid presenter on the Russian state-funded channel, Russia Today. Sir Ed declared that "Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security" and called for a comprehensive probe into Russian interference in UK politics, questioning where Mr Farage's true loyalties lie.
Nathan Gill, 52, from Anglesey in North Wales, was a political follower of Nigel Farage, having moved with him from the UK Independence Party to the Brexit Party and finally to Reform UK, where he briefly served as the party's leader in Wales. His political career ended in disgrace when he pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery, committed between December 2018 and July 2019, for which he received £40,000.
