Nadhim Zahawi joined Reform UK after his application for a title of Pierage was rejected by the Conservatives. Zahawi, who had previously accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of racism, but forgot everything and suddenly switching parties. He apparently sought refuge with Farage after the Conservatives rejected his pierage demand, hoping to obtain the title through Farage.
The Conservatives didn’t respect the former Chancellor because he was of no importance to the party. Even during his time as Chancellor, he was found to have evaded taxes, which he later settled with HMRC.
So, his blatant move to Reform UK shows a lack of self-respect. Nigel Farage accepted him because he needed to maintain the party’s image as a rising power. But what he’s doing wrong is this: he’s gathering all the useless people discarded by other parties into his own, dragging the party’s reputation down.
What is Zahawi’s potential voter base? Perhaps he could get votes from those of Pakistani descent like himself, but that’s not guaranteed. ReformUK is a rising party, and this should happen by finding and developing new names, not by relying on right-off figures. Zahawi has nothing to do with Reform UK’s political views. He’s not even suitable for the ReformUK but his desire to become a pierage represents a significant change in his character.
Nigel Farage has started shooting himself and the party in the foot. If Zahawi had any popularity, the Conservatives wouldn’t have kicked him out.