Boris Johnson would never be welcome in party, Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf says

Reform UK’s head of policy Zia Yusuf has said Boris Johnson would never be welcome in his party.

He branded the former Conservative leader “one of the worst prime ministers in British history” and accused him of betraying Brexit voters.

“We certainly would not welcome Boris Johnson – that’s never going to happen,” he told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

“He threw open our borders. The Boris wave, which is millions and millions of non-EU migrants flooding into the country post-Brexit, betrayed every single person that voted Brexit.

“Frankly he was one of the worst Prime Ministers in British history.”

The term “Boris wave” is used by Reform UK figures to describe the surge in legal immigration following post-Brexit visa policies introduced under Mr Johnson from January 2021.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was asked if he fancies his chances of getting Mr Johnson across to the party, and he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “Oh I don’t think that would really work, somehow”, adding: “Oh, I think that the Boris wave, and I like him personally, I always have done, he’s a very entertaining bloke, but I think that the Boris wave was felt by millions of people.

“Millions of people allowed, being allowed into Britain, most of whom, by the way, don’t even work, and are costing us a fortune. That’s something for which this audience will never, ever forgive him.”

Meanwhile, Mr Farage said his party’s biggest weakness is “experience at government level”.

He said that Nadine Dorries “brings us the one commodity we’re very short of and that’s experience at government level”.

Mr Farage said: “That is our biggest weakness. You could ask me lots of questions about policy and personnel and all the rest of it, but if you ask me, how are you going to do this? I can’t really give you an answer, because I haven’t got anybody in the senior team that’s ever been there before.

“Nadine came yesterday. She’s the first, and there will be others.”

Anna Turley, Labour Party chairwoman, responding to Mr Farage’s comments, said: “Nigel Farage has no plan for Britain. Now he’s admitted he doesn’t have confidence that his team is capable of delivering a plan if he did have one.

“’Don’t know’ answers won’t solve the problems the country faces. And putting yourself forwards for high office while admitting your team aren’t fit to govern isn’t patriotism, it’s egotism.

“Britain deserves better.”

And Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said an alliance with Reform UK is “not going to happen”.

Asked if the prospect of an alliance between Mr Farage and Mr Johnson, as called for by Nadine Dorries, sends a chill down his spine, he told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “Not at all, not at all. That’s not going to happen.

“And, you know, I am always interested in what Nadine has to say. But I don’t agree with many things she says. I don’t agree with that either.

“Of course, listen, Nigel Farage Reform is a very good razzmatazz. Interesting to see all that happening on stage. Well, that’s a couple of days, but the reality is there was no mention, no mention whatsoever, how they’re going to fill their own £140 billion-a-year black hole and put that in context as you know, Trevor, there’s already a deficit in the country because of Labour’s actions.

“But £130 billion-a-year. So you’re talking about spending commitments, nearly £300 billion-a-year more than we’re collecting in taxes. This is simply impossible.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “The biggest problem facing our country is that the economy is in crisis and Nigel Farage will only make it worse.

“He wants to increase benefits. We’re the only party talking about living within our means, and that’s quite important.

“What I’m doing is turning the Conservative Party into the traditional, authentic Conservativism that people recognise, and that’s going to mean taking some tough decisions. I’m afraid if people don’t like it, then they are welcome to leave.”