In a dramatic move that has sent ripples through the British political landscape, former Conservative cabinet minister and ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK, joining forces with Nigel Farage in what is being described as the most senior defection yet from the Conservative Party. Announced at a press conference in central London on January 12, 2026, Zahawi’s switch marks a significant blow to the leadership of Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch and has reignited debate over the direction of the UK’s right-of-center politics.
Standing beside Farage, Zahawi declared, “Britain is drinking at the last chance saloon and really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister.” According to The Independent, Zahawi explained that his decision was driven by a sense that the nation had reached a “dark and dangerous” moment, and that a “glorious revolution” was now necessary to restore its fortunes. “I've made my mind that the team that will deliver for this nation will be the team that Nigel will put together, and that's why I've decided that I'm joining Reform UK,” Zahawi stated in his video announcement.
Zahawi’s political journey is as complex as it is remarkable. Born in Iraq to a Kurdish family, he arrived in England at the age of nine after his parents fled the regime of Saddam Hussein. Despite not speaking English upon his arrival, Zahawi grew up in Sussex and later studied chemical engineering at University College London. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found the polling company YouGov in 2000, a venture that would eventually make him one of the wealthiest politicians in the House of Commons, as reported by The Independent.
His parliamentary career began in 2010 when he was elected as the Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon. Zahawi spent nearly eight years on the backbenches before being appointed to his first junior ministerial post in the Department for Education under Theresa May in 2018. He subsequently rose to become education secretary and, most notably, played a pivotal role in leading the government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout in 2020. His prominence only grew when Boris Johnson appointed him Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2022, following Rishi Sunak’s resignation from the post. However, his tenure was short-lived as Johnson himself resigned shortly thereafter, and Zahawi’s own bid for the Conservative leadership ultimately faltered.
But Zahawi’s ascent was not without controversy. His financial affairs came under intense scrutiny in 2023 after revelations that he had used an offshore company registered in Gibraltar to hold shares in YouGov. The initial investigation, first reported by The Independent in 2022, culminated in Zahawi paying nearly £5 million to HMRC to settle his tax affairs. He later described this as a “careless mistake” and expressed regret for not being “more explicit” in his ministerial declaration regarding the settlement. Nevertheless, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Zahawi as Tory Party chairman in January 2023, stating that the ethics inquiry had found a “serious breach of the ministerial code” due to Zahawi’s failure to disclose the HMRC investigation.
In his speech to supporters at the Reform UK press conference, Zahawi cited concerns over free speech—whether “on social media or even just down the pub”—and the tax burden faced by ordinary Britons as core reasons for his defection. He argued that the current political establishment was failing those “trying to earn a living without getting ground into the dirt by taxes,” and insisted that only Reform UK, under Farage’s leadership, could offer a credible alternative.
Nigel Farage, for his part, was quick to hail Zahawi’s recruitment as a turning point for Reform UK. At the press conference, Farage asserted that Zahawi’s move helped to dispel the notion that Reform UK was a “one-man band.” According to Bloomberg, Zahawi’s defection adds to a growing list of political figures—including councilors and former or current MPs—who have left the Conservatives to join Reform UK in recent months.
Yet, Zahawi’s switch has not been without its detractors—both within his former party and across the political spectrum. A Conservative spokesman dismissed him as the latest in a series of “has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train,” adding, “Their latest recruit used to say he’d be ‘frightened to live in a country’ run by Nigel Farage, which shows the level of loyalty for sale. Reform want higher welfare spending and higher taxes. They are a one-man band with no plan for our country. Under Kemi Badenoch the Conservatives are demonstrating we have the plan, the competence and the team to get Britain working again.”
The Labour Party was equally scathing in its assessment. Labour Party Chair Anna Turley stated, “This confirms what we already knew: Reform UK has no shame. Nadhim Zahawi is a discredited and disgraced politician who will be forever tied to the Tories’ shameful record of failure in government. Zahawi himself has previously repeatedly lambasted his new boss over his divisive and extreme rhetoric—and Farage has said that Zahawi has no principles and is only interested in climbing the greasy pole. This shameless scurry of yet another failed Tory over to Reform will tell people everything they need to know about both of them.”
Interestingly, Zahawi addressed the apparent contradiction in his views of Farage, noting at the press conference, “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t think Nigel Farage was someone capable of leading the country.” This statement seemed aimed at quelling questions about his prior criticisms of Farage and his suitability for high office.
Zahawi’s departure from the Conservatives was foreshadowed in May 2024 when he stepped down from his Stratford-on-Avon seat, stating he wanted “a new, energetic Conservative” to take over. But few anticipated that he would make such a high-profile leap to Reform UK, particularly given his previous public disagreements with Farage’s rhetoric and platform.
The backdrop to Zahawi’s move is a period of profound flux in British politics. Reform UK, under Farage’s leadership, has surged in the polls, capitalizing on discontent with both major parties and attracting defectors from across the political spectrum. The Conservatives, meanwhile, are grappling with internal divisions and external pressure from rivals on both the right and left. Zahawi’s defection is likely to intensify these pressures, raising questions about the future direction of the party and the broader realignment underway in British politics.
As the dust settles, Zahawi’s decision stands as both a symbol of the volatility of the current political moment and a reminder of the personal and ideological calculations shaping Westminster’s shifting alliances. Whether his gamble will pay off for Reform UK—and for Zahawi himself—remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the landscape of British politics has changed yet again, and the reverberations are far from over.
