Reform UK's chairman, Zia Yusuf, has resigned his post after 11 months.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, he said: "11 months ago, I became chairman of Reform.

"I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30 per cent, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.

"I no longer believe working to get a Reform Government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office."

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Yusuf, the co-founder of concierge service Velocity Black, had been appointed shortly after Reform took back five seats at last summer's General Election.

He took over from Richard Tice, who himself stepped into the role when Nigel Farage returned as leader on June 3, 2024.

Yusuf's exit is the third controversy-ridden departure from the party in under a year.

Shortly after the 2024 election, Ben Habib was removed as Reform's co-deputy leader.

Today, Habib - a long-time critic of Yusuf - said: "Thank goodness he resigned."

"For the first time ever I agree with you," Habib added. "Indeed, it was never a good use of your or anyone else's time."

And earlier this year, Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was suspended from the party following a string of "bullying" allegations, which he strenuously denies.

Reform leader Nigel Farage said shortly after Yusuf's departure: "I am genuinely sorry that Zia Yusuf has decided to stand down as Reform UK chairman.

"As I said just last week, he was a huge factor in our success on May 1, and is an enormously talented person.

"Politics can be a highly pressured and difficult game and Zia has clearly had enough. He is a loss to us and public life."

The chairman's departure also comes just a few hours after an internal party rift broke out over Sarah Pochin MP's call to ban the burka.

Pochin, with whom Yusuf celebrated in Runcorn in the early hours of May 2, had been branded "dumb" by her now-former chairman after urging the Prime Minister to ban the traditional Islamic garb at PMQs.