Nadhim Zahawi Joins Reform UK After Conservatives Reject Peerage Bid

Former UK Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, becoming the most senior former Tory to join Nigel Farage’s party so far.
Zahawi announced his move on Monday, describing Britain as being in a “dark and dangerous” place and saying the country needed what he called a “glorious revolution”. He said Reform UK was the team he believed could deliver real change.
However, senior Conservatives claimed Zahawi’s decision followed his failed attempt to secure a peerage. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Zahawi had made several approaches to party leader Kemi Badenoch seeking a seat in the House of Lords, but was turned down.
Hollinrake said the party was concerned about Zahawi’s past tax issues, which previously led to his dismissal from a senior role, and decided he was not suitable for elevation to the Lords.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled Zahawi at a press conference, dismissing claims that Reform was becoming “Conservatives 2.0”. He said many current Tory MPs had approached Reform, though not all were being accepted.
Zahawi, who served as chancellor for two months under Boris Johnson, said the Conservatives were a “defunct brand” and predicted they would soon cease to be a national party following elections in Scotland, Wales and English councils later this year.
A source close to Zahawi denied claims he had pushed for a peerage, saying instead that Badenoch had contacted him for advice on saving the party, prompting him to decide Reform UK was the better option.
Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chairman in January 2023 after an ethics investigation found he had failed to properly disclose that his tax affairs were under investigation by HMRC. He later admitted errors in his declarations but said this should not prevent him from serving the country.
Labour and Liberal Democrat figures criticised the move, describing Reform UK as a “retirement home” for disgraced former Conservative politicians.
Born in Iraq in 1967, Zahawi fled the country with his family as a child and grew up in the UK. He previously served as vaccines minister during the Covid pandemic, overseeing the rollout of the UK’s vaccination programme.