Reform UK’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, triggered a strong reaction from audience members during a tense immigration-focused edition of BBC Question Time, after sharply rebuking a critic of the party’s stance on migrant labour.
The programme, filmed in Dover, centred on the UK’s immigration system – including small boat crossings, workforce shortages, and proposals put forward by Reform UK.
🔵 Audience Member Challenges Reform Claim on Migrant Labour
A long-serving NHS worker challenged Yusuf’s assertion that Britain has enough domestic labour to avoid relying on migrant doctors and care workers.
“I joined the NHS as a student in 1974,” the man said.
“We’ve always been reliant on doctors from Asia, and the care sector is totally dependent on overseas workers despite nine million people not being in work.”
He accused Yusuf of “conflating lots of different things” to make his case, and highlighted a Reform UK proposal that could see migrants lose indefinite leave to remain.
He continued:
“If you’ve worked in a care home for 40 years, and you can no longer bring your children over, are you saying that when you reach 65 you’ll be sent back? Is that what you’re suggesting?”
🟠 Yusuf’s Curt Response Sparks Audible Reaction
Yusuf dismissed the interpretation:
“No, not at all. And if you’d paid attention to what we are announcing, you would not have that view.”
The comment drew an audible “ooh” from the audience.
Migration Minister Mike Tapp intervened:
“Typically rude. Be polite to people at the same time. They’re not decent, that’s the problem.”
Yusuf pressed on, stating that Reform would introduce an “acute skills shortage visa” to ensure essential sectors – such as care homes – can continue functioning.
He also noted his own family’s connection to the sector:
“My mother is a care home worker.”
🟣 Yusuf Later Accuses BBC of ‘Planting’ Migrants in Audience
Speaking to GB News after the broadcast, Yusuf escalated criticisms of the BBC, claiming the programme had seated individuals in the audience who had arrived in the UK illegally.
“How on earth is it appropriate that people who have broken into this country illegally should have a seat at the table in a discussion about illegal immigration? It is bewildering.”
The BBC says the participants were individuals with refugee status, not irregular entrants.
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