Christopher Hope reveals 'real reason' behind Zia Yusuf's return to Reform UK - 'We spoke on the phone'

The former Goldman Sachs banker, who donated £200,000 to Reform UK, told Hope his resignation was a "mistake" resulting from tiredness rather than any fundamental disagreement with the party's direction.

Hope's conversation with Yusuf provides the first detailed explanation of the sudden departure that threatened to plunge Reform UK into fresh turmoil.

Speaking to GB News, Hope explained: "He was tired. He’s working, as Nigel Farage told GB News on the night he left.

"He worked long hours without a break, no holiday, no real time off in eight months, as he built this party with Nigel Farage and his £200,000 donation. He then resigned.

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"After that, he received hundreds of emails from Reform members saying, 'Don’t go anywhere'. He realised there is life outside Twitter and outside extremists.

"Real Reform members had a lot of faith in him, so he had a rethink. He’s talked to Nigel Farage, and he’s coming back to the party, but he won’t be chairman. That is crucial. He’s going to be in charge of this Doge initiative."

Hope addressed the controversy surrounding Reform MP Sarah Pochin's parliamentary question about banning the burqa, which had been widely reported as triggering Yusuf's resignation.

"I asked him just moments ago about Sarah Pochin, the new MP who, in parliamentary questions on Wednesday, appeared to start this drama," Hope said.

Nigel Farage has said that Yusuf "will take on a more public role for the party, appearing more frequently in the media".

Just after 5pm on Saturday, Zia wrote on X: "Over the last 24 hours, I have received a huge number of lovely and heartfelt messages from people who have expressed their dismay at my resignation, urging me to reconsider.

"After 11 months of working as a volunteer to build a political party from scratch, with barely a single day off, my tweet was a decision born of exhaustion.

"I only came into politics out of a sense of duty, to serve the country I love. The country that had been so kind to my parents and presented me with immense opportunity.

WATCH: Zia Yusuf announces he will rejoin Reform UK

"Out of a sense of duty to do whatever I could to reverse decades of decline and make this a country one in which we could be excited for our children to grow up. I came into politics out of belief that Nigel Farage was the man to deliver that.

"Having read the messages, I believe in these things more than ever. I know the mission is too important and I cannot let people down.

"So, I will be continuing my work with Reform, my commitment redoubled. Reform has come a long way since I was appointed Chairman, and has moved from ‘startup’ to ‘scaleup’.

"Given this, and that we have now won power at a local level, I will focus on a new role. I will be running the UK Doge team to fight for taxpayers, as well as working on party policy and representing it in the media.

"I will continue to give all my time to the most important project of my life, getting a Reform Government elected with Nigel as Prime Minister."