Richard Tice says Reform chairman was WRONG to oppose burka ban

Nigel Farage's deputy has said he is 'enormously sad' that Reform's chairman resigned – but insisted he was wrong to oppose a burka ban.

Richard Tice said Zia Yusuf, who plunged Reform into chaos after resigning on Thursday, had worked 'incredibly hard' and helped the party win hundreds of council seats in last month's local elections.

But he insisted that banning the burka was right because the Islamic veil is 'a repressive item of clothing'.

However, Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer did not support a ban, with a spokesman saying: 'This Government does not believe in mandating what people should or shouldn't wear in public.'

Mr Yusuf's departure came just hours after he hit out at one of Reform's own MPs for a 'dumb' question in the House of Commons about banning the burka.