Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf is facing serious backlash after claiming that asylum seekers are getting their TV licences paid for by taxpayers – without offering a shred of evidence.
The now-infamous post, made on X (formerly Twitter), quickly went viral. Yusuf, who recently returned to Reform and is heading up the party’s ‘Doge team’ at Kent County Council, alleged the council was “using taxpayer money to pay for TV licenses for asylum seekers”.
He added:
“Remember that next time you are asked to pay for yours.”
The implication? That ordinary Brits are funding free TV access for asylum seekers, while struggling to pay their own bills. But many are calling the claim not just misleading – but completely made up.
❌ No evidence. No details. No receipts.
Despite the post being amplified by Reform figures like Lee Anderson and right-wing accounts across social media, Yusuf hasn’t backed up his words.
The Home Office’s own advice makes it clear: asylum seekers must pay for a TV licence if they have access to live broadcasts or BBC iPlayer. There is no policy providing free licences to asylum seekers.
That didn’t stop Yusuf – or his supporters – from running with the narrative. But plenty of others weren’t having it.
One person replied directly to Yusuf:
“I’m calling you out on this. Proof or it didn’t happen.”
Others pointed out that if a hotel or accommodation has a communal TV, the licence is likely covered as part of the building – not the individual. That’s standard for any council-funded housing, regardless of who lives there.
Another X user shared a 2020 report that had already debunked the same claim, proving that this isn’t a new rumour – just one that refuses to die.
🧐 Why this matters
Claims like Yusuf’s feed into a growing culture of misinformation, where public anger is stoked using half-truths or flat-out falsehoods.
The issue? They’re rarely corrected – and often shared tens of thousands of times before anyone checks the facts.
For a politician leading an “efficiency” programme at council level, you’d think evidence and accuracy would be a top priority. But so far, no documents, figures, or sources have been presented by Yusuf.
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