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Jailed ex-leader of Reform in Wales is 'ancient history', says Yusuf

Amy MackrillBBC Wales
PA Media A grey-heaired man with a grey beard wearing a grey coat, blue shirt and a blue tie looking at the camera while walking away from the Old BaileyPA Media
Nathan Gill was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after admitting to taking bribes for pro-Russia interviews and speeches.

Reform UK head of policy Zia Yusuf has described Nathan Gill, the disgraced former leader of the party in Wales, as "ancient history".

Gill received a 10-and-a-half year sentence on 21 November after admitting to taking around £40,000 in bribes for pro-Russia interviews and speeches.

Mr Yusuf said that he had never met Gill, and all he knew of him was what he had read in the newspapers, saying his actions should not "besmirch" Reform UK.

It comes after the Prime Minister Keir Starmer challenged Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to set up an investigation into Reform UK's Russian links

Mr Yusuf appeared on Sky News, where it was put to him that there are people who will ask why should they trust what Reform UK says about Russia "given that one of their people took money from Russians".

In response, Mr Yusuf said: "I think that would be an incredibly unreasonable position to take."

Mr Yusuf, who was previously the chairman of Reform UK, added: "Nathan Gill, what he did was treasonous. It was horrific. It was awful. He's now been dealt with by the authorities. He deserves the sentence that he's gotten.

"But as you've just said, this is a guy which, far as we're concerned, is ancient history."

Mr Yusuf said he had never met Gill, and it was unreasonable to "besmirch" Reform UK, Nigel Farage and the party's millions of supporters.

Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, is thought to have received up to £40,000 to help pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine during his time as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), when he accepted money from Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a man once described by the US government as a "pawn" of Russian secret services.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Gill had abused his position and eroded "public confidence in democracy".

Gill was a member of the UK Independence Party, who then followed Mr Farage to the Brexit Party and ultimately was – for a brief period before his fall from grace – Reform UK's leader in Wales.

PA Head of Policy Zia Yusuf speaking during a Reform UK press conference at Church House Westminster in London. He has short black hair and is wearing a dark navy suit with a white shirt and light blue tie. He wears two small pins on his lapels - a poppy and a Union Jack flag. He stands behind a podium bearing a light blue sign that reads Reform UK. PA
Head of policy for Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, said it was unreasonable to "besmirch" the party in the wake of the Nathan Gill scandal

Mr Yusuf's remarks come after the Prime Minister Keir Starmer challenged Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to set up an investigation into Reform UK's Russian links, adding that Gill's action "undermines our country".

In response, Mr Farage said that Sir Keir needs to investigate Labour's links with the Chinese Communist Party.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Farage was previously paid to be on Russian President Vladimir Putin's TV channel, Russia Today, adding: "We must all ask – where do his loyalties really lie?"

Speaking after Gill was jailed, Sir Ed said: "A traitor was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary.

"Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security.

"Nigel Farage himself was previously paid to be on Putin's TV channel, Russia Today, and said he was the world leader he admires the most.

"We must all ask – where do his loyalties really lie? We need a full investigation into Russian interference in our politics."

Getty Images Nigel Farage, wearing a grey suit and blue and grey tie, is laughing with Nathan Gill, a tall man wearing a navy blue suit and a blue and light grey stripy tie, is next to him also laughing. Both are at a press event and standing in front of a table. Getty Images
In a speech to a 2016 UKIP conference, Nathan Gill said of his relationship with party leader Nigel Farage that he was "one of his loyalist lieutenants, certainly in Wales"