Zia Yusuf has been fact-checked after he proudly boasted about polling data which he claimed showed how popular he was.
In recent days, Yusuf has become the centre of attention within Reform.
From labelling former ministers “traitors” to announcing policies that already exist, Reform’s home affairs spokesperson has become the subject of quite a lot of criticism, both within and outside Reform.
Just this week, senior Reform member Tim Montgomerie was suspended from the party over criticism he had made of Yusuf, and there are a number of reports claiming Yusuf is not particularly well liked in some Reform circles.
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In the face of the criticism and pressure, Yusuf has continued to be a loose cannon on social media.
On Thursday, he hit out at the Daily Mail and Spectator for running “hit pieces” on him.
To try and prove his popularity, Yusuf cited a poll this month which he said showed “I have the 3rd highest favourables of any right wing politician prompted in the poll. And the lowest unfavourables.”
On paper, this sounds as impressive. But once you dig into the data of this poll, you realise all is not quite as Yusuf would like everyone to believe.
Journalist and Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges did just this, and laid the data out in a post on X.
He pointed out that the poll had only asked people for their opinions on five right-wing politicians: Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick, Richard Tice and Yusuf.
So Yusuf is boasting about finishing third out of five.
Hodges also pointed out that almost a third of those asked in the poll said they had “never heard of” Yusuf, whilst another 32% gave a “neutral/unsure” response.
So the reality is, Zia Yusuf only came 3rd out of 5 “right-wing” politicians tested,” Hodges wrote.
“His net approval rating is negative. And most people have never actually heard of him or basically have no opinion of him at all.”
