‘This sounds like something that’s either flat-out untrue, or deliberately framed to mislead.’
Zia Yusuf has been asked to provide proof for his questionable claim that councils are using taxpayer money to pay for TV licences for asylum seekers.
Yusuf, who is now head of Reform’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), says he has identified an area where Kent County Council is wasting money.
In a post on X, he said: “Kent County Council is using taxpayer money to pay for TV licenses for asylum seekers.
“Remember that next time you are asked to pay for yours.”
Source, please?
The issue is, Yusuf has provided no proof to back up his anti-migrant rhetoric.
In reality, the Home Office is responsible for funding refugee accommodation. If a hotel or property housing asylum seekers has a TV licence, it is likely to be purchased by the accommodation provider, not the local council.
In response to Yusuf’s post, one X user, Bearly Politics said: “And it’s at this stage that I ask @ZiaYusufUK for some evidence – because this sounds like something that’s either flat-out untrue, or deliberately framed to mislead.
“So: source, please?”.
They added: “Given that you’ve quite recently misunderstood some fairly basic aspects of how local government works, I hope you won’t mind me asking for some actual proof.”
Another user said: “I’m calling you out on this. Proof or it didn’t happen.
“Likely the asylum hotel or accommodation has one TV licence covered by the council.”
Procurement misunderstandings
Earlier this month, Yusuf misunderstood the meaning of procurement. He expressed outrage after claiming that Kent County Council had tendered a £350 million contract for recruitment services over four years. He argued this was a waste of money, and that Reform could cut spending.
It turned out it was not a contract, but a national framework open to all public bodies across the UK. The £350 million figure represented the total potential value across all participating organisations over the four-year period, not a sum committed by the council itself. Oops.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
