Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has responded forcefully to remarks made by Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch, who characterized Reform UK as a "woke" and "grievance" party. Yusuf suggested Badenoch's comments were a misdirected response to recent controversies faced by the Conservative party.

Badenoch had previously stated that Reform UK relies on "moaning and whinging" and victim narratives rather than offering concrete solutions, while ruling out any potential pact with Reform leader Nigel Farage. She described "woke" as a focus on grievance, victim narratives, and oppressor classes.

Yusuf countered by acknowledging Reform UK's "grievance" but framed it as a justified reaction to what he described as 14 years of Conservative government misrepresentation. He specifically cited the government's immigration policy, stating that despite promises to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands, net immigration reached one million people. Yusuf also criticized the government's handling of the prison system, linking early releases to issues with serious crime.

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Yusuf also took aim at Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp's recent trip to the Channel to document migrant crossings, likening it in psychological terms to returning to the scene of a crime out of narcissism.

IMAGE2 Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf dismissed Badenoch's comments as an angry reaction to recent Tory scandals, specifically referencing a row over a former neo-Nazi standing as a Conservative candidate

Nigel Farage had earlier in the week also dismissed the possibility of an electoral pact with the Conservatives.