In a stunning political reversal, former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has joined Nigel Farage's Reform UK, despite having previously declared he would be "frightened" to live under a government led by the right-wing figurehead.
A High-Profile Defection and Immediate Contradiction
On Monday 12 January 2026, Nadhim Zahawi became the most prominent politician to defect to Reform UK. At a press conference announcing his move, he insisted that Britain "really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister".
However, within minutes, his past social media posts surfaced, revealing a starkly different viewpoint. The contradiction centred on a 2015 exchange where Mr Farage called for scrapping much of the UK's racial discrimination legislation in the workplace.
Responding directly to Mr Farage on the platform X, formerly Twitter, Mr Zahawi wrote: "I'm not British Born Mr @Nigel_Farage I am as British as u r. Yr comments r offensive&racist. I wld b frightened 2live in country run by U."
Tory Fury and a History of Critical Remarks
The Conservative Party reacted with scorn to the defection. A Tory source described Mr Zahawi as the latest in a line of "has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train of defection", adding that his move "shows the level of loyalty for sale".
They further quipped: "It looks like Farage was right when he said Nadhim Zahawi is 'just about climbing that greasy pole.'" The party stated that, "Haunted by the spectre of his own irrelevance, Zahawi has jumped on the gravy train."
This was not an isolated criticism from Mr Zahawi's past. In 2014, he labelled Mr Farage as "establishment as they come". Writing for Conservative Home in 2015, he elaborated on his fears, stating: "What's frightening is that in Farage's Britain people like me could be lawfully discriminated against and British businesses would be encouraged to bin our CVs."
He had also previously asserted his lifelong Tory allegiance, posting in 2014: "Been a Conservative all my life and will die a Conservative."
Press Conference Laughter and Political Fallout
When confronted with these historical posts during Monday's press conference, the former MP and vaccine tsar laughed them off. He told journalists, "Good on you for digging out tweets from 11 years ago".
The defection and the unearthed comments quickly drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Green MP Ellie Chowns highlighted the contradiction, asking: "Is this the same Mr Zahawi that said of Nigel Farage, your comments are offensive and racist and I would be frightened to live in a country run by you? Indeed, it would appear it is."
The episode marks another dramatic chapter for Mr Zahawi, who was found to have breached the ministerial code over his tax affairs in 2023. His shift to Reform UK underscores the ongoing turbulence within British politics and presents a significant challenge to the Conservative Party as it battles to retain voters on its right flank.
