Nadhim Zahawi was rejected for a peerage by the Conservatives just weeks before he defected to Reform UK, Tory sources have told the Guardian. The former chancellor asked Kemi Badenoch’s top team for a seat in the House of Lords but was rebuffed because he had been sacked as Tory chair in 2023 over his tax affairs.
A Tory source said: “Nadhim asked for a peerage several times. Given he was sacked for his dodgy tax affairs, this was never going to happen.” The Conservatives pointed out that he joined Reform just weeks after Badenoch released her latest political honours list, on which he did not feature.
Zahawi was announced on Monday as Reform’s newest recruit, claiming Britain was on the brink of “civil unrest” and only a government led by Nigel Farage could prevent it. He said he had let his Tory membership lapse in December before joining as a “foot soldier” with no specific role promised.
However, he faced questions about a now-deleted 2015 tweet in which he called Farage’s comments “offensive & racist”. He defended Farage, saying he would not be sitting beside him if he believed he had a “racist bone in his body”. The Reform leader denied allegations of racism, despite 34 school contemporaries claiming they saw him behave in a racist manner.
