By Peter Omopo
The Conservative Party has claimed that former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defected to Reform UK after his request for a peerage was turned down, a charge that has added to the political fallout surrounding his departure.
Zahawi, who served briefly as chancellor under former prime minister Boris Johnson and held several senior ministerial roles between 2018 and 2023, was unveiled as a member of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK at a press conference on Monday. He has since described Britain as being at a “dark and dangerous” moment, saying the country needed a “glorious revolution.”
However, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Zahawi’s decision followed unsuccessful efforts to secure a nomination to the House of Lords. According to Hollinrake, Zahawi had made repeated approaches to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and her close allies but was rebuffed.
“It seems strange to change his perspective only a few weeks after those conversations took place,” Hollinrake told the BBC, adding that the party had serious reservations about Zahawi’s suitability for a peerage.
He said the Conservatives were concerned about Zahawi’s past tax issues, which led to his dismissal as party chairman in 2023, and concluded that he was “not the right person to be elevated to the House of Lords.”
Zahawi, in a pre-recorded video played before his appearance at the Reform UK event, said the country was “broken,” citing stagnant economic growth, rising crime and illegal migration. He said he believed the team assembled by Farage offered the best chance to “deliver for this nation.”
Responding to criticism, Zahawi dismissed Badenoch as carrying the “baggage of a defunct brand,” while Farage said the Conservatives would “cease to be a national party” following elections in Scotland, Wales and English councils later this year.
A source close to Zahawi denied claims that he had sought a peerage, insisting that Badenoch had contacted him for advice on how to revive the party and that he chose to join Reform UK because he believed it could “save Britain.”
Farage, for his part, said Zahawi’s defection did not signal that Reform UK was becoming a rebranded Conservative Party. He added that while several current Conservative MPs had expressed interest in joining Reform, not all were being accepted.
Zahawi’s move has drawn sharp criticism from rival parties. Labour Party chair Anna Turley described him as a “discredited and disgraced politician,” while Liberal Democrat MP Manuela Perteghella said Reform UK was turning into “a retirement home for disgraced former Conservative ministers.”
Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chairman in January 2023 after an independent ethics investigation found he had breached ministerial rules by failing to declare that his tax affairs were under investigation by HM Revenue and Customs. He has acknowledged mistakes in his declarations but said they should not bar him from public service.
Born in Iraq in 1967, Zahawi fled the country with his family and grew up in the UK. His political career has included roles as vaccines minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, education secretary, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a short stint as chancellor of the exchequer.
Asked about allegations of racism previously levelled at Farage, Zahawi said he would not have joined Reform UK if he believed its leader held prejudiced views, adding that he judged Farage by his personal conduct rather than accusations.
