Zia Yusuf has been called out for claiming that taxpayer money is used to pay for TV licences for asylum seekers – but providing absolutely zero evidence of this.
After a two-day resignation as Reform UK chairman, Yusuf is back in the party and leading their ‘Doge team’ at Kent County Council.
The idea behind the scheme, inspired by Elon Musk’s disastrous government efficiency program in the US, is to cut inefficiency and waste in the council which is controlled by Reform.
On Sunday, Yusuf claimed he’d uncovered what he believed to be some unnecessary spending at Kent County Council.
In a post on X, he alleged that the council are “using taxpayer money to pay for TV licenses for asylum seekers,” adding “Remember that next time you are asked to pay for yours.”
This inflammatory claim was quickly shared far and wide on social media by Reform figures such as Lee Anderson and right-wing accounts.
This was despite the fact that Yusuf has provided zero evidence to back up his words, and the official Home Office advice makes clear that asylum seekers must obtain a TV licence if they have a television or watch programmes online.
Many requested Yusuf provide evidence, pointing out that given how widely the post has been circulated it is “vital that the public is able to verify its accuracy.”
Commenting under Yusuf’s post, one person wrote: “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.”
Someone else shared a report from 2020 that had previously debunked the claim that migrants get a free TV licence.
Another commented: “Please provide proof. You can’t just come out with random statements.”
Even X’s artificial intelligence bot Grok said there was no evidence to back up Yusuf’s claim.
At the time of writing, Yusuf has yet to provide any proof or evidence of his claim about taxpayers paying for the TV licences of asylum seekers.
Related: Resigned, suspended, expelled: Reform lose NINE councillors in just six weeks