Lankan-origin Yusuf appointed chair of far-right anti-Muslim party

Lankan-origin Yusuf appointed chair of far-right anti-Muslim party

Zia Yusuf poses for a photo at a Velocity Black party in July 2017. Photograph: Miloš Bičanski/Getty Images

Zia Yusuf, whose parents emigrated from Sri Lanka to Britain, has become the chairman of the ultra-right-wing Reform UK Party, which is in the midst of the anti-immigration, anti-Muslim flare-up in the United Kingdom now running into its third week.

Mr. Yusuf, a self-made millionaire, part-funded the Reform UK Party led by the controversial British politician Nigel Farage, who argues against immigration. The newly appointed Chairman Yusuf himself has been quoted as saying that he wants immigration into Britain controlled.

Zia Yusuf with Nigel Farage at a Reform election rally
in Birmingham in June. Reuters

A product of the London School of Economics (LSE), Mr. Yusuf was educated in the UK on a 50 percent government scholarship and later went on to work for Merril Lynch and Goldman Sachs. Thereafter, he started a luxury concierge service, Velocity Black, with a school friend. The service allowed the rich to make restaurant bookings and pay by phone. It also went into offering luxury vacations and designer outfits for the super-rich. Then, the two partners sold the company for US$300 million.

The 37-year-old Mr. Yusuf defended Mr. Farage, who made some controversial statements recently on the Southport stabbing that triggered anti-Muslim rioting, including attacks on mosques. He is reported as telling the Guardian newspapers that Mr. Farage asked some “perfectly valid questions”. He says he wants to make Mr. Farage the Prime Minister of Britain. At the last elections, the Reform UK Party came third in the number of countrywide votes, but fourth in the number of seats won.

The election of the new chair is not without controversy within the Reform UK Party itself. One supporter posted on social media, “I voted for Reform UK to get Britain back to the British, not for it to be led by a Muslim. I will be resigning tomorrow.” Another said, “I don’t buy this ‘good Muslim’ line.” Mr. Yusuf is undeterred and says he believes in British values.

Anti-immigrant riots in Britain: Sri Lankan cricketers stuck in hotel 

The Sri Lanka men’s cricket team, part of whom are currently in Britain to play a Test series, would have never thought they would be stuck in their hotel rooms in one of the major cities of a Western country that—not so long ago—issued travel advisories on Sri Lanka due to domestic developments.

In view of recent anti-immigrant riots in the country, the Sri Lankan team raised security concerns with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which reassured them that adequate security arrangements are in place.

“Most of the issues seem not to be close to where we are, but everyone is still a little concerned,” one player in England told ESPN Cricinfo. “We can’t really go out to dinner or do anything like that. Mostly, we stay in the hotel. No one wants to run into trouble and get beaten up”.

Other members of the team are scheduled to arrive in England today for a three-match Test series.

Several Islamic countries, such as Malaysia, Nigeria, and the UAE, have issued travel advisories against visiting the UK these days.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in London on Tuesday issued a travel advisory, urging Indian citizens to be vigilant when travelling to the UK due to recent protests and incidents of violence in the area.

Back home, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry, addressing a news conference, advised Sri Lankans to avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon over the next few days⍐.