It has been announced this morning that Tim Montgomerie has been suspended as a member of Reform. It came after an interview that the founder of ConservativeHome did with Tim Shipman and me for Coffee House Shots. In our 30-minute exchange, Montgomerie spoke about his pride at being a member of Reform, but was candid about its failings too. He was particularly critical of Zia Yusuf’s behaviour, revealing that he did not speak to him for three months after assisting in Robert Jenrick’s defection. In the time between the recording of the podcast and its publication online, Montgomerie had his membership suspended.
The reason appears to be his decision to make public his frustrations with decisions made by figures within the party. Nigel Farage has been clear on this point, quoting the dictum of Preston Manning, the Canadian Reform leader: ‘Keep disagreements private.’ One senior party source says: ‘The General Secretary and Chairman have had months of complaints regarding Tim’s behaviour and conduct. They saw fit to take action and protect the party. Reform will never engage [in] the Tory briefing wars.’ Montgomerie plans to set up a Reform equivalent of ConservativeHome. But his suspension serves as a reminder of where the leadership at the top of the party considers the boundaries of personal criticism to be.
It reveals too the strength of Zia Yusuf. It is striking just how many comments in the online sphere have been supportive of the former chairman, who has spent the past 15 months building a considerable presence on TikTok, YouTube and X. There is a reason why he is among the most popular figures with the Reform grassroots and those who would like to believe that Farage could ever easily dispense with him are likely to be sorely mistaken. As one party figure put it to me: ‘Zia is here for the long term. The Tories who want to have some future in the party need to understand that.’
There are some too who would like to pretend that Tim Montgomerie is the only person critical of the direction within Reform. That is very much not the case, as reflected by the number of messages I have received within the past few hours. ‘Tim’s treatment is a disgrace. We look like a cult – run by a team of total cults’, says one party figure. Montgomerie voiced concerns that others share, often to his own detriment. His critics will argue that he was unwise to do so in the fashion he did. But even those loyal to Farage acknowledge, sometimes begrudgingly, that there have been missteps in recent months. For some, it is about tone and tactics; for others, internal changes at Milbank Tower.
After a difficult summer, next month’s conference is perceived by some within Reform as a real make-or-break moment. Tensions between arrivistes and long marchers remain within the ranks, a major consideration in the proposed ‘shadow cabinet’ expansion. At last year’s event, Aseem Malhotra’s Covid-scepticism and Andrea Jenkyns’s singing divided opinion among those at the top of Reform. At this year’s shindig, Farage will need to demonstrate all his political acumen in making such judgement calls if others are not to follow Montgomerie, willingly or not, out the door.
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