Fomer chancellor Nadim Zahawi defects to Reform UK
Former Conservative Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defected to Reform Britain.
Party leader Nigel Farage announced the move at a press conference on Monday.
Zahawi, a former Conservative MP, was chancellor for two months under Boris Johnson and served as a government minister from 2018 to 2023.
Explaining why he joined Farage’s party, he said he felt the UK had reached a “dark and dangerous” moment, so the UK needed a “glorious revolution”.
In a speech to reform supporters, Zahawi said issues with freedom of expression “at
Zahawi is the most senior of the former Conservative MPs to join Reform UK.
In addition to his two-month stint as chancellor at the end of Boris Johnson’s term as prime minister, he was education secretary, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chairman of the Conservative Party.
He was fired from this last role by Rishi Sunak in January 2023 after the Prime Minister’s independent ethics adviser found he had breached ministerial rules and failed to disclose his role. Tax matters are being investigated by HMRC.
Asked by the BBC about his dismissal over tax matters, Zahawi said: “The mistake I made was not being specific in my statements to the Cabinet Office.
“I definitely think politicians should have a higher level of accountability, but I shouldn’t be prevented from doing the right thing by my country.”
The former MP was set to replace Johnson as prime minister in 2022 but had the support of just 25 colleagues and was eliminated in the first round of the leadership contest won by Liz Truss.
