Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has defended Nigel Farage’s recent comments about Shamima Begum on GB News, urging viewers to examine “exactly what Nigel Farage said” about the ISIS bride’s potential return to Britain.
“Nigel is the opposite. He truly cares about the British people and will say things that are true and benefit security,” Yusuf said.
The defence comes hours after Nigel told ITV News he was “thoughtful” about allowing Begum to return to the UK, despite previously opposing such a move.
Yusuf emphasised that Nigel’s stance was rooted in national security concerns following recent regime changes in Syria.
Zia Yusuf spoke about Nigel Farage’s comments about Shamima Begum
GB NEWS
Speaking to ITV News, Nigel said: “I’ve never wanted to. I’ve instinctively never wanted to. But I’m now thoughtful, I’m thoughtful. I don’t classify her as an ISIS, an all out ISIS killer.”
He added: “She’s sort of less… She is a lesser part of the equation.”
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Nigel Farage said he is ‘thoughtful’ about the Shamima Begum situation
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The Reform UK leader’s comments followed statements from Donald Trump’s former terror chief Seb Gorka suggesting ISIS members could be allowed to return to the US.
“It’s very difficult for us to think we should take back people, Shamima Begum and others,” Farage told ITV News. “Instinctively, it’s not something I want to do.”
Yusuf explained that Syria’s political landscape has shifted dramatically, with “Jihadists in senior government positions” following recent regime change.
“If you are a British citizen and you are concerned that there are people in Syrian prisons that are security threats to the UK, where would you rather they be?” Yusuf asked on GB News.
According to WalesOnline, Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s rule ended in December when Islamist rebel groups launched an offensive, taking control of major cities and the capital Damascus.
“Inside a ‘prison’, inside a now potentially Jihadist-controlled Syria, or inside a maximum security prison in the UK? That’s the point Nigel is making,” Yusuf said.
Yusuf emphasised that Nigel’s position remained fundamentally unchanged, noting “as he has said multiple times, he would instinctively be against it.”
He pointed to Britain’s current border situation as part of the security considerations, stating “we have totally permeable border now, tens of thousands crossed last year alone.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has rejected any possibility of Begum’s return, stating firmly: “Shamima Begum will not be coming back to the UK. It’s gone right through the courts.”
“We will act in our security interests. And many of those in those camps are dangerous, are radicals,” Lammy added.
