Nigel Farage Rebukes Zia Yusuf for Calling Ben Wallace Traitor

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage rebuked his party's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, after Yusuf branded former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace a "traitor to Britain." The dispute erupted after Sir Ben questioned the feasibility of a Reform UK proposal to deport 10,000 foreign criminals to third countries, such as El Salvador, if their home nations refused to accept them.

In response to the criticism, Yusuf used X to call Sir Ben a "moron" and a "traitor," alleging that the former defence secretary used a super injunction to conceal the import of unvetted Afghans and Taliban fighters. Sir Ben, a former British Army officer, demanded an apology and noted that the term traitor is a heavily loaded word.

Farage described Yusuf's language as "over the top" and "too strong," promising to give the spokesman a "ticking off." Other party figures, including Tim Montgomerie, joined the condemnation, describing Yusuf's attitude toward political opponents as inappropriate and counter-productive.