Yusuf was grilled over Nathan Gill
Reform’s head of policy Zia Yusuf became rattled during an LBC interview, where presenter Shelagh Fogarty and SNP MP Stephen Flynn grilled him over Nathan Gill.
Flynn said that he had yet to hear a proper explanation from Yusuf about Gill, who was sentenced last week to 10 and a half years in prison for accepting £40,000 in bribes to make pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament and the media.
The Reform figure repeated his line that he’d never met Gill and said “the first time I read his name was in the newspaper”.
He also insisted the case was “ancient history”. Flynn hit back, stating: “It’s not ancient history, he’s just been put in jail.”
Yusuf attempted to dodge the question, claiming that the SNP MP was “trying to besmirch” millions of Reform and Nigel Farage supporters by asking about Gill.
“You can’t just pretend this hasn’t happened. A man who was the leader of Reform in Wales has now been jailed for working for Vladimir [Putin]” Flynn said.
Yusuf then incorrectly claimed Flynn had said Gill was leader of Reform, stating “he was not leader of the Reform party, he was the head of Wales for about 43 days when Reform was polling at about 1%”.
Fogarty then intervened, saying that in the Budget yesterday, the chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government would increase sanctions on Russia.
Reeves made a joke that she wasn’t referring to Nigel Farage. “She was making a joke about the leader of your party being a Russian asset,” Fogarty said.
“Is he a Russian asset?,” the LBC presenter asked. Yusuf didn’t answer the question.
Fogarty repeated: “Is Nigel Farage a Russian asset. Is he a Russian asset?”.
Yusuf then got rattled, and said: “You already know the answer to that question, and I take exception to you asking that question.
“Are you seriously asking me the question if Nigel Farage is a Russian asset? That’s your serious question as the host of an LBC show?”.
The Reform head of policy then said the claim Farage is a Russian asset was “categorically untrue”. He also repeated the same line he said to Flynn, stating that the question “was deeply offensive again to the millions of people who support Reform and Nigel Farage”.
Fogarty replied: “I didn’t mention them.”
Image Credit: LBC
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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