Politics Newsnight Victoria Derbyshire zia yusuf
Victoria Derbyshire just magnificently owned Zia Yusuf over Robert Jenrick and it simply gets better and better
Zia Yusuf, the newly appointed and entirely unelected ‘shadow Home Secretary’ of Reform UK celebrated his new job by going on BBC’s Newsnight, and ended the evening probably wishing he hadn’t bothered.
Because while Victoria Derbyshire is always on top form, on Tuesday night she went to the absolute next level over Reform’s apparent intention to scrap the Equalities Act.
And this exchange, also from last night, was just as devastating for Nigel Farage’s millionaire wingman as Derbyshire asked Yusuf about the warm embrace his party offered to its latest Tory defectee, Robert Jenrick.
“I’ve gotten to know Robert [Jenrick] since he joined Reform…”
“And, don’t tell me, you now don’t think he’s a ‘liar’ or ‘dishonest’?”
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, is pressed on how he changed his mind about his party’s pick for Chancellor.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/77zF9tq7PB
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) February 17, 2026
Bravo, Victoria Derbyshire!
And it was this line in particular that got us cheering.
“I’ve gotten to know Robert [Jenrick] since he joined Reform…”
“And, don’t tell me, you now don’t think he’s a ‘liar’ or ‘dishonest’?”
— Simon Gosden. Esq. #fbpe 3.5% 🇪🇺🐟🇬🇧🏴☠️🦠💙 (@g_gosden) February 18, 2026
And all these people loved it just as much as we did.
1.
Zia, who hasn’t been elected to anything, gets ripped to shreds 👏👏👏👏👏 https://t.co/HTyGBUvoNf
— Dr David Nicholl (@djnicholl) February 18, 2026
2.
Zia is admitting you can’t trust anything he says. https://t.co/lUteZGCWQV
— Annabelle Sanderson 💜🤍💚 (@WiltsAnnabelle) February 18, 2026
3.
🚨 TRENDING 🚨
Zia Yusuf eats his words on camera.
Asked why he went from calling Rob Jenrick a “liar and a fraud” as a Tory… to calling him “credible” after he defected to Reform UK.
His answer? “I didn’t know him very well until he defected.”
Translation: everything he… pic.twitter.com/fjyIK1I7wl
— Sly U (@SlyForTheRight) February 18, 2026
4.
Well done Victoria- it’s a shame you appear to be the only presenter prepared to challenge #Reform https://t.co/2ErMhYyJtm
— Heather (@PeakirkBooks) February 17, 2026
5.
This illustrates why rigorous scrutiny from the media matters. Political statements should not simply be repeated. They must be examined, tested, and challenged by experienced political journalists. Programmes such as BBC Newsnight perform a valuable role in this regard. Rather…
— Gordon Fielden (@GordonFielden) February 18, 2026
6.
Well done @vicderbyshire asking that very dislikable creature Zia Yusuf some serious and tough questions. I just don’t get how people don’t see through these con artists in reform with their populist politics and praying on peoples irrational fears. I mean as if Yusuf gives a…
— Maurice Kilbride (@MauriceK1421) February 18, 2026
7.
Zia, much like everyone in Reform is deeply unlikeable and obviously untrustworthy.
— 💙 Phil Jones 🍊 (@PhilJonesy3) February 17, 2026
8.
Amazing the humiliation people will undergo to please Master Farage.
Worrying from someone who wants to be a senior member of government. https://t.co/K1qjo8J9x6
— Ed McGuinness (@EJ_McGuinness) February 18, 2026
9.
Do not trust this man 👇 https://t.co/EsKR9aSI7I
— Ashton Ward (@AshtonWard01) February 18, 2026
And finally, not the most important but 100% worth asking … this!
What is this ‘gotten’? https://t.co/Vb8BNHnL85
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) February 18, 2026
To conclude.
(Victoria Derbyshire) 👇 Mr Yusef pic.twitter.com/t603zp8YiE
— Tony Watson (@tonywatson54) February 18, 2026
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Source @BBCNewsnight