Reform chiefs left 'paranoid' over scrutiny of party finances - with home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf 'holding meetings in the back of his car over bugging fears'

By GLEN OWEN and CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 22:43, 11 July 2026 | Updated: 22:54, 11 July 2026 If Nigel Farage survives his duel with Count Binface in the Clacton by-election, his allies would like him to do two things this summer. First, they want him to take a proper holiday – and then crack down on what they describe as 'rampant paranoia' and infighting at Reform HQ as the party's poll lead shrinks and negative stories continue to mount. The string of recent headlines about Mr Farage's finances and the role played by 'Posh George' Cottrell have also led to claims that stories have been planted in the media as part of a power struggle in the team around Mr Farage. Other theories range from a phone or computer hack by hostile foreign powers to a 'hit job' carried out by the 'deep state' of security officials and civil servants determined to stop Mr Farage from becoming prime minister. According to a source, Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesman, is so fearful about being bugged that he has started holding important meetings in the back of his car as it is driven around. Mr Farage faces a parliamentary investigation over his failure to declare a £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who has become the biggest ever living donor to a political party. He may also face a separate probe into claims that he accepted more gifts – including free accommodation near Buckingham Palace – from Mr Cottrell, a friend and convicted fraudster. Scotland Yard is also investigating £500,000 of donations to Reform by Mr Cottrell's mother. Nigel Farage has called a by-election in his Clacton seat and will face Count Binface in August Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, has become so paranoid about bugs that he has taken to holding meetings in his car Last week, Mr Farage responded to the intense scrutiny by calling a 'people versus the establishment' by-election in the Clacton seat he has held since 2024. Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all ruled out contesting the seat, leaving Mr Farage facing Count Binface in the poll on 13 August. The count is rated at 4/1 to win by the bookies, while a survey by the polling company Ipsos this weekend found that 33 per cent of Britons say they would prefer the space-themed joke candidate to win compared with the 21 per cent who back the Reform leader. A separate poll by YouGov found that 40 per cent of Mr Farage's own Reform UK voters now view him as 'sleazy'. Mr Cottrell has attracted particular envy among some members of the Farage court over his direct access to their leader. When asked whether the stories about Mr Cottrell had come from 'inside the tent' as part of 'leadership manoeuvring' around him, Mr Farage said: 'That wouldn't be surprising – it's politics.' A Reform source said: 'There is definitely a chatty rat in there [the nickname given to the leaker of England's second Covid-19 lockdown plans in late 2020]. George has the power to tell Nigel to block people from good jobs or being a by-election candidate, so there is every incentive to bring him down. 'It's an internal power struggle. The trouble is that George's reach is so extensive it could bring down Nigel with him, and where is the party then?' The issue of succession is also poisoning relations. Police are investigating £500,000 in donations to Reform from the mother of convicted fraudster and Farage's friend George Cottrell Questions have been raised about whether Mr Farage, who is 62, is robust enough to remain as leader until the next election, which is likely to be in three years, and then, if he were to win, serve as Prime Minister for a five-year term. However, he has insisted he is fine 'for now', despite heavy smoking, drinking most days and surviving on four hours' sleep. When former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick defected to Reform in January, it is said to have come as a blow to deputy leader Richard Tice and Mr Yusuf, who is understood to have regarded himself as the 'anointed successor'. A source said: 'He thought "This is it, I'll be leader after Nigel". There was always tension with Richard over that. 'Then Jenrick came in and both were knocked off course. But it was less of a blow to Richard than to Zia. There's someone very, very close leaking. 'A lot of the stuff about George I personally had no clue about. Extraordinary. I guess there's multiple sources. But there's clearly one source that's very close in.' The source added: 'Zia's gone a bit mental. If he wants to see you he'll summon you down and drive around Westminster in the back of a van. That is why you see him doing his television appearances from there. Rampant paranoia.' Mr Yusuf did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Cottrell said he thought it was 'total b*******' that he was being briefed against from within the party.