In a dramatic political intervention, former Conservative Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has announced he is joining Reform UK, delivering a scathing verdict that Britain is now 'fundamentally broken' after 18 months of Labour government.
From Baghdad to Westminster: A Personal Journey
Zahawi, who fled Saddam Hussein's regime with his family as a child and arrived in Britain at age 11 speaking no English, reflects on his remarkable journey. He built successful businesses and rose to hold one of the nation's highest offices, Chancellor of the Exchequer. He states Britain was 'wonderful' to him, making his current despair over the country's direction all the more poignant.
'It breaks my heart to see what has happened,' Zahawi said, referencing the nation that took him in almost fifty years ago. He has decided to offer his experience to Nigel Farage and the Reform UK team, arguing he could no longer 'sit on the sidelines' while the country suffers.
A Scathing Critique of Labour's Economic Record
Zahawi launches a fierce attack on the current government's economic competence. He claims the economy is 'on life support', with rising unemployment, stagnant growth, and businesses 'dying' everywhere. He attributes this to a Cabinet he says has 'not an ounce of business experience' and 'actively despises capitalism'.
He singles out key figures: an 'out-of-her-depth Chancellor', an Energy Secretary whose Net Zero policy will 'bankrupt the country', and a Foreign Secretary 'giving away British territory'. He also criticises the Attorney General for being overly deferential to the European Court of Human Rights.
Conservative Failings and a Call for Reform
The former Cabinet minister admits his own party's time in government was 'far from perfect'. He concedes the Conservatives were 'too timid and too weak', often outmanoeuvred by a 'bureaucratic behemoth' of a civil service and its sprawling network of quangos and regulators.
Zahawi also expresses personal regret at adopting the jargon-filled, evasive language of Westminster, pledging to now be 'absolutely up front' with the public. He warns of a 'dark chapter', pointing to the threat of radical Islamists seeking to enter Parliament at the next election and stir division.
Concluding with a stark endorsement, Zahawi states his firm belief that only one party and one man can rescue Britain. 'Britain needs Reform. Britain needs Nigel Farage as Prime Minister,' he declared.
