Farage’s Reform Party has followed its usual pattern of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by losing a major donor and strategist just as they looked like becoming a force to be reckoned with on the political scene. Admittedly it was over an issue which would gain general support as a new Reform MP asked the Prime minister whether he would consider banning the burqa. Though it led to Zia Yusuf, a Muslim businessman, resigning as Reform Party chairman as a result.
Richard Tice, the Deputy chairman of Reform Party’s deputy leader says discussion about the burqa must not be ‘forced underground’ when it is policy in some European countries. He said “I think it is right that we should have a debate about whether or not the burqa is appropriate for a nation that’s founded in Christianity, where women are equal citizens and should not be viewed as second-class citizens.”
But is is still a messy exit, raising questions about why Yusuf was there in the first place.
Farage has a reputation for spectacular fall outs, the most recent being Rupert Lowe MP in March, who was cancelled without due process after a spectacular hissy fit. See previous post 12 March 2025.
Farage and his Deputy Richard Tice, 13 September 1964, are looking undermined from the 9th of this month with tr Neptune square their composite Sun Venus conjunction and even edgier with tense and bad tempered eruptions in July right through till this November – and those influences repeat into 2026. I would not be surprised if a separation was on the cards.
Lee Anderson, Reform chief whip, 6 January 1967, and Farage equally are out of sorts through the next year with tr Uranus square the composite Sun and tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the composite Venus.
Farage himself, 3 April 1963 4.30 pm Farnborough, England, an 8th house Sun Aries conjunct Mars, with a fiery Sagittarius Moon will be jittered and jangled with tr Uranus conjunct his Venus in later this month for an emotional upset; and tr Uranus square his Saturn from this August for further eruptions, which will continue into 2026. At which point he also has a panicky-failure tr Saturn Neptune conjunct his Mars extending into 2027.
The Reform Party chart, 23 November 2018 has tr Uranus rattling (or blowing up) its Sagittarius Sun Jupiter square Mars from this August through 2026.
On burqas: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy (in some localities), the Netherlands (in public places) and Spain (in some parts of Catalonia) have banned burqas. In Germany some states ban them in schools. Switzerland officially banned burqas, hijabs and other face coverings in public after a referendum. The ban has been implemented primarily citing security concerns, social integration, and to promote gender equality.
France banned the wearing of face-covering headgear in public spaces in 2011, including the burqa, which is a full-body covering that covers the face.
Jack Straw, a Labour MP for Blackburn, with a third of the electorate Muslim, raised the subject in 2006 and said he would no longer see constituents who covered their faces. There then followed a TV Question Time debate over which the discussion chairman David Dimbleby should hang his head in shame since it was badly mishandled – and the political debate was effectively buried thereafter.
According to Sky News Zia has reversed his resignation and is staying with Reform though not as chairman.
I understood he was coming back. And also that the role was to split as Yussuf had been working 18 hour days. And this is voluntary, so he wasn’t even being paid.
I think the burqa is the symbol of female oppression. We don’t do chastity belts, foot binding or FGM. If you are out in public spaces,
It is important in a face to face environment to see that person’s face. It is important for security reasons. We live in a country where everyone will find themselves on cctv, throughout the course of a day. So if it is important for security, then these women are being given a free pass, purely so as to not offend the Muslim population.
The Burqa is about control over the woman. It is about segregating these women from general interaction with those not of her family or religion. And although there are women who claim it is their choice and is nobody’s business, we should remember that it has only been a few years that a white British woman was thrown out of a pub for wearing a hat. And that hat showed her face. And she wasn’t causing any trouble.
We should also remember that many who protested about the way Israel has retaliated against Hamas and were pro Palestinian also deliberately covered their faces. Nothing good has ever come from covering your face.
What’s on the cards for Zia? Labour is calling this “humiliating hokey-cokey”. Lib Dems a “game of ‘musical chairman’”.
I don’t know if I can express this well. And I’m sure I’ll get flak.
I think if I left my country to go to another, I would have respect for that country’s’ traditions, culture and ways of life. I wouldn’t go and insist I have every right to do my ‘thing’ and protest against. Or why leave my country? . There’s disrespect to insist and demand the welcoming country to bend over backwards to accept your insistence to be accepted if you will not assimilate. I wouldn’t have demanded my way. I would be more accepting to their culture….losing my track of thought. The astrology of this is, I’m a Libra, Aquarius moon.
It certainly all bodes well for 2 or 3 terms of Labour.
Interesting piece. I wasn’t aware it was so widely banned in other parts of europe. I’m not keen on public displays of religion and the Burka to me is an extreme example of that.
I’m perhaps more against religion displays in the workplace or schools. I feel religion should be downgraded to hobby status. A personal thing. Apologies, no astrology here. That said, pluto moving through Aquarius could change all that.