Laura Kuenssberg Criticises Nadhim Zahawi Over Farage Claim

Laura Kuenssberg slapped down Reform’s Nadhim Zahawi after he claimed Nigel Farage is the victim of a Westminster “pile-on”.

The BBC presenter told the former Tory minister “this is scrutiny” as she pointed out other politicians seeking to become prime minister have faced the same.

The pair clashed in the wake of Farage’s decision to quit as MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election in the seat, which he won at the 2024 general election.

He said he was the victim of a “witch-hunt” as parliament’s standards watchdog probes a £5 million gift he did not declare from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire shortly before he ran to be an MP.

Appearing on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Zahawi – who quit the Conservatives to join Reform in January – said: “What Nigel has done is the right thing because it’s up to the people of Clacton to back him or sack him.

“My experience is that Westminster, either through a co-ordinated attack on Reform or otherwise, is a pile-on to stop Nigel, to stop Reform.”

But Kuenssberg told him: “You know this is exactly the kind of scrutiny that happens to anyone that wants to become prime minister, whether it’s a gift of millions of pounds or the field that Keir Starmer had for his mother’s donkey. This is scrutiny.”

Zahawi then said parliament’s standards committee, half of which is made up of members of the public, is “a kangaroo court of MPs who are all anti-Nigel”.

“The best scrutiny is the people of Clacton, because ultimately they will judge Nigel and they will judge the Reform Party,” he said.

“I think, at the moment, there is a co-ordinated attack on Nigel, on Reform.”

The decision to spark the by-election has backfired on Farage, however.

Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems, the Greens and Restore Britain have all refused to stand candidates, leaving the Reform leader facing a straight fight with Count Binface.

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