REFORM UK members are set to gather in Perth this Saturday for the party’s first ever Scotland conference.
Deputy leader Richard Tice is listed as keynote speaker, and the party chairman Zia Yusuf is also expected to address delegates.
Yusuf, who donated thousands to Reform over their General Election campaign, was appointed chairman in July after Tice became deputy leader. He has been suggested by party leader Nigel Farage to be the potential future leader of the party.
But who is Yusuf, where is he from, and how did he become a millionaire?
Early life
Yusuf was born in Bellshill in North Lanarkshire in 1986. His parents migrated from Sri Lanka to the UK just prior to this, and both worked for the NHS.
His father is a doctor and his mother is a nurse.
Yusuf went to school at the fee-charging Hampton School in west London, where he won a 50% scholarship.
He met his future business partner Alex Macdonald at school and went on to study international relations at the London School of Economics.
Life before politics
Yusuf went on to become executive director at Goldman Sachs before founding a luxury concierge company in 2009 with Macdonald.
He was the CEO until 2023, when they sold the company to Capital One for £233m.
Yusuf earned an estimated £31m from the sale.
Prior to this, Yusuf met Farage at a cocktail party. He went on to join the party, leaving the Conservatives, and became the largest donor to Reform UK in the run-up to the 2024 general election.
Political career
He is a vocal supporter of Reform’s immigration policy as well as being a party donor. While it is unclear how much Yusuf has donated overall, he made a £200,000 donation during the campaign.
Farage has suggested Yusuf may one day lead the party.
In reference to a Reform UK rally which Farage hosted in Birmingham in June, the party leader said: “Who is the star of the show going to be? Well, it’s going to be Zia Yusuf, a practicing Muslim who is going to say things about the growth of Muslim extremism, about racism in Britain, and I can assure you anybody who has a racist point of view, I don’t want to know.”
Yusuf told the rally that problems with the NHS were “unbecoming of Great Britain” – but praised frontline staff who he said work hard despite “awful conditions”.
Claiming political “elites” had “catastrophically failed” the country, Yusuf said: “To our young people, I say you are being betrayed, you are being robbed of a fair opportunity.
“We have been failed by our incompetent political leaders. It does not have to be this way.”
Pledging that “change is coming”, Yusuf added that Reform UK’s movement was built on courage and “powered by love”.
To loud applause, the businessman added: “Thankfully we have an ace up our sleeve – in Nigel Farage we have a real leader.”
When he was appointed chairman, Yusuf said: “It is an honour to be appointed chairman of Reform UK. Against all odds, under Nigel Farage’s leadership, our people’s movement won four million votes, elected five MPs with 98 second places.
“This is just the beginning. The important work of professionalising the party, building national infrastructure and continuing to grow membership has already begun.
“I will bring all my expertise, energy and passion to the role to ensure we achieve our mission of returning Great Britain to greatness.”
