'Couldn't make it up!' Nigel Farage’s UK Doge unit claims taxpayers paid for illegal migrants' TV licence fees

In a bombshell announcement, Yusuf 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.”

After Yusuf made the claim on social media, Reform UK chief whip Lee Anderson said: “You couldn't make this up.”

Yusuf, who quit as Reform UK’s chairman before returning to the fold 48 hours later, is expected to make further announcements over the coming month.

He has already met with council chiefs in Kent and West Northamptonshire, later pledging all Reform-run local authorities will face a major financial inspection.

Kent is considered to be on the frontline of the ongoing migrant crisis, with thousands of asylum seekers crossing the Channel to reach the Garden of England since 2020.

GB News also recently revealed how Kent County Council had been using taxpayers’ cash to rent office space almost 200 miles away in Brussels.

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Reform’s Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran later suggested she could look to end taxpayer-funded English lessons for migrants, instead looking at cheaper alternatives such as Duolingo.

Ahead of a turbulent few days for Yusuf last week, Reform UK's Doge chief headed to Maidstone's County Hall to unveil his Elon Musk-style team.

Tech entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried, 28, was announced as leader of Reform's Doge unit, which will include a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors.

Arron Banks, one of the so-called "Bad Boys of Brexit", will also act as an adviser to the team.

Following a visit to West Northamptonshire Council on Friday, Yusuf said: "For too long, British taxpayers have watched their money vanish into a black hole.

"Their taxes keep going up, their bin collections keep getting less frequent, potholes remain unfixed and their local services keep getting cut.

"Reform won a historic victory in West Northamptonshire and around the country on a mandate to change this.

"As promised, we have created a 'UK Doge' to identify and cut wasteful spending of taxpayer money.

"Our team will use cutting-edge technology and deliver real value for voters."

West Northamptonshire Council Leader Councillor Mark Arnull added: "We fully welcome the assistance Zia and his team have offered to provide to help us uncover waste across council spending.

"Whilst we continue our own work to streamline council finances, the cutting-edge expertise that the 'Doge' team are providing free of charge will make it that much easier to identify waste and free up funds which we can redirect towards frontline public services like SEND provision, adult social care and filling potholes."

Yusuf's visit on Friday came just days before the People's Channel exclusively revealed how Durham County Council's Reform leadership was looking to overhaul the local authority's diversity, inclusion and equity training.

Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband, who already welcomed the "positive" decision to rename portfolios to remove references to climate change and equality, told GB News: "These modules do not align with our objectives and having read the small print we can adapt training to satisfy ‘minimum requirements’ whilst staying compliant."

GB News understands that expected alterations include ending the statutory enforcement of DEI training and climate change modules for all 98 Durham County councillors.

A local Reform UK source also suggested that the changes could be made as early as today.

However, Farage's rhetoric on DEI has been condemned both by legal experts and trade union chiefs.