Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform UK, calling Britain ‘last chance saloon’

Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK, becoming the most senior ex-Conservative figure to join Nigel Farage’s party.

Zahawi, 58, was unveiled alongside Farage at a press conference in London, where he warned that Britain was “drinking in the last chance saloon” and said the country “really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister”.

In a video message announcing his move, the former vaccines minister and chancellor said: “Nothing works, there is no growth, there is crime on our streets and there is an avalanche of illegal migration that anywhere else in the world would be a national emergency. I’ve made my mind up that the team which will deliver for this nation is the team that Nigel will put together.”

The defection marks a dramatic political reversal for Zahawi, who once insisted there was “no chance” he would ever join Farage. Writing in 2014, he said he had “been a Conservative all my life and will die a Conservative”. A year later, he warned that Farage’s policies could discriminate against British citizens born overseas.

Zahawi’s political career spanned more than a decade at Westminster. Elected as Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon in 2010, he held a series of senior cabinet roles under four prime ministers, rising to chancellor in 2022. He stepped down as an MP at the last general election after being forced out of government over a dispute surrounding his tax affairs.

Born in Iraq, Zahawi arrived in Britain as a child refugee in the 1970s after fleeing Saddam Hussein’s regime. He has previously spoken about sitting at the back of a classroom aged 11, unable to speak English. He later co-founded polling company YouGov and built a substantial personal fortune, including a large property portfolio.

His move adds further momentum to Reform UK’s efforts to present itself as a credible national political force rather than a single-person movement. Farage said Zahawi’s defection helped dispel claims that Reform was a “one-man band”.

Zahawi follows a growing list of former Conservative MPs who have joined Reform, including Nadine Dorries, Andrea Jenkyns and Lee Anderson, reflecting deepening fractures on the right of British politics.

The Conservatives dismissed the move, with a party spokesman describing Reform as “the party of has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train”. The spokesman added that Zahawi had previously said he would be “frightened” to live in a country run by Farage, questioning the consistency of his views.

Despite that criticism, Zahawi insisted his support for Reform reflected the gravity of the moment. “Even if you don’t yet realise that Britain needs Reform,” he said, “you know in your heart of hearts that our wonderful country is sick.”

Paul Jones

Harvard alumni and former New York Times journalist. Editor of Business Matters for over 15 years, the UKs largest business magazine. I am also head of Capital Business Media’s automotive division working for clients such as Red Bull Racing, Honda, Aston Martin and Infiniti.