Tensions surfaced in Reform today after Nigel Farage effectively sacked his deputy Ben Habib.
Mr Farage – who was formally sworn in as an MP this morning – has announced a new ‘leadership team’, making made Richard Tice his deputy.
Lee Anderson, another of the five elected for the party on July 4, becomes Chief Whip, and Zia Yusuf chairman of the outfit.
But Mr Habib told he was ‘considering his position’ in Reform after being ‘informed’ by Mr Farage that he no longer had a job.
‘I am considering my position more generally in light of this change,’ he said.
‘I have long held concerns about the control of the party and the decision making processes.
‘I will reflect on all of this. The key for me is that Reform UK stays true to the promises made to the British people.
‘The movement we have created does not belong to us, it belongs to the people. We are obliged and indebted to the British people.’
Mr Farage said: ‘These appointments are the first step to ensure that Reform UK is fit and ready to take forward its positive message.
‘I have no doubt that we will professionalise the party and change politics for good.’
However, the latest manoeuvres will raise concerns about Reform being riven by the same kind of infighting that often blighted Ukip.
One veteran of Mr Farage’s previous political venture said Reform was ‘the Nigel show’, and predicted defections.
Mr Anderson, who switched from the Tories earlier this year, repeated his view that the ‘fox is in the henhouse’ after Reform’s advance at the election.
‘Using my experience of the twists and turns of Parliamentary life and procedure to ensure that our team is focussed and delivers for our constituency and the more than 4 million voters will be a great honour and pleasure.’
Mr Yusuf, who earned an estimated £31million from selling his luxury concierge app Velocity Black last year, was a vocal supporter of Reform’s immigration policy as well as being a party donor.
He said: ‘It is an honour to be appointed Chairman of Reform UK. Against all odds, under Nigel Farage’s leadership, our people’s movement won four million votes, elected five MPs with 98 second places.
‘This is just the beginning. The important work of professionalising the party, building national infrastructure and continuing to grow membership has already begun.
‘I will bring all my expertise, energy and passion to the role to ensure we achieve our mission of returning Great Britain to greatness.’
Mr Tice said he was ‘delighted’ at Mr Yusuf’s appointment.
He said: ‘We plan to expand our operation and infrastructure at pace from here, and having someone of Zia’s experience and highly successful track record is fantastic news.’
Reform – which is unusual for political parties in being majority-owned by Mr Farage – already had a dramatic overhaul just before the election.
As he dropped the bombshell that he was standing for Parliament Mr Farage declared that he was taking over as leader from Mr Tice.
The former leader then took on the role as chairman.
Mr Farage used his first intervention in the Commons on Tuesday to take aim at ex-Speaker John Bercow.
Mr Farage used the confirmation session for re-elected Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to take aim at his diminutive predecessor, who was a thorn in the side of the Leave side before he stepped down in 2019.
He hailed Sir Lindsay’s reselection for the impartial role, saying he served with ‘great neutrality … in contrast to the little man who was there before you’.
And he also poked fun at the fact that he was entering the Commons at the eighth attempt.
Mr Farage said his party were ‘the new kids on the block’, adding: ‘We have no experience in this Parliament whatsoever, even though some of us have tried many times over the years previously.’
The quintet of right-wingers posed for cameras in Westminster after arriving for the start of the new term after their election breakthrough.
Richard Tice: Boston and Skegness
Mr Tice is a millionaire former property developer from leafy Surrey. The 59-year-old is a former Tory Eurosceptic who was a Brexit Party MEP and ineffectually led Reform before Nigel Farage returned to the frontline of politics ahead of the election. Privately educated and from a wealthy family he made money in the property business, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who once sought to demolish London’s landmark Ritz Hotel to make way for offices. The divorced father-of-three is in a relationship with Isabel Oakshott, the former journalist.
Lee Anderson: Ashfield
Lee Ashfield is a controversial figure who was Tory Party chairman until earlier this year. The 57-year-old, a former Labour councillor, fled the Conservatives after being censured for remarks about London mayor Sadiq Khan. But he had already been at the centre of other controversies. He was nicknamed ’30p Lee’ after suggesting families who used food banks were simply bad at economising, and could make a meal for 30p. The former cleaner was Reform’s sole MP before the election and retained his seat, becoming the first party candidate to win at the ballot box.
Rupert Lowe: Great Yarmouth
The millionaire former chairman of Southampton Football Club finally won election on the east coast, in a seat formerly held by Tory Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis. A former Brexit Party MEP, he ran the Premier League club between 1999 and 2006 and remains a divisive figure among fans due to the state the club was left in after it was relegated. He took over again in 2008 but resigned the following year after it went into administration with debts of up to £30m that saw the side relegated to League 1.
James McMurdock: South Basildon and East Thurrock
A 38-year-old former banker who unexpectedly edged the contest in the Essex seat by 98 votes in the final election result to be declared in England. After the election Mr Farage said he was a ‘paper candidate’ who had not been expected to win. The party leader said he was a ‘former city boy’ who was drafted in at the last minute and beat Labour candidate Jack Ferguson. Mr McMurdock took 12,178 votes, giving him a 30.8 per cent share – while Mr Ferguson got 12,080 and 30.5 per cent.