Reform UK's head of policy Zia Yusuf has dismissed the party's former Welsh leader Nathan Gill, jailed last week for taking Russian bribes, as "ancient history" who should not "besmirch" the party's millions of supporters.
A court sentenced Gill to 10 and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery. He accepted at least £40,000 to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament and media between December 2018 and July 2019.
The conviction has triggered demands from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Labour for investigations into Reform UK's Russian links.
Political Fallout Intensifies
Speaking to Sky News's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Yusuf condemned Gill's actions as serious but insisted they reflect on him alone. "Nathan Gill, what he did was treasonous, it was horrific, it was awful. He's been dealt with by the authorities and he deserves the sentence that he got," Yusuf said.
He added: "But as you've just said, this is a guy which, far as we're concerned, is ancient history. I've never met him. I'd never heard of him, actually, until I saw his name sadly in the newspapers. I think it is unreasonable to besmirch everybody else at Reform, the millions of people around the country who support Nigel (Farage) and support our party."
Starmer Demands Investigation
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking at the G20 Summit in South Africa, challenged Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to launch an investigation into the party's Russian connections. "This is a serious sentence that has been imposed, over 10 years. It's a very serious issue," the Prime Minister said. "How did that happen, that this was happening in his party? And what other links are there between Reform and Russia?"
Labour chair Anna Turley accused Reform of "pandering to Moscow" and demanded "[...] an independent investigation to root out pro-Russia links, to assure the public that Putin holds no sway over their party or its representatives".
Farage responded that Starmer should investigate Labour's links with the Chinese Communist Party.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Farage was previously paid to appear on Russia Today and asked: "[...] where do his loyalties really lie?"
Defending Farage's Stance
Yusuf rejected suggestions that Reform UK is soft on Russia. When pressed on Farage's past comments that "we provoked this war" in Ukraine, Yusuf said: "It is not Nigel's position that 'we provoked the war'."
He insisted the party's position is clear: "When he [Farage] was pressed as to how he would respond if he was prime minister and Russian jets encroached into NATO airspace, his view was that those planes should be shot down. We are crystal clear about our position."
Yusuf added: "We are now in a situation where Ukraine's sovereignty has been violated, and Vladimir Putin needs to be brought to heel."
Gill's Political Journey
Gill, 52, from Anglesey in North Wales, had a lengthy career in eurosceptic politics. Voters elected him as a UKIP MEP in 2014, and he led UKIP's Welsh wing between 2014 and 2016. He served in the Senedd from 2016 to 2017.
He followed Farage to the Brexit Party and remained an MEP until 2020 when the UK left the EU. In March 2021, Reform UK appointed him leader in Wales but he quit a few months later.
Counter-terrorism police confirmed that Farage was not part of the investigation into Gill.
Farage previously described Gill as a "bad apple" whose actions had "shocked" him, adding: "Any political party can find in their midst all sorts of terrible people."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
