STORY
Scandal-hit former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi is facing fresh alleged claims that he sought a peerage from the Conservative Party in the weeks before defecting to Reform UK, only to switch sides after failing to secure a seat in the House of Lords.
The allegations, attributed to Conservative sources in several reports, claim Zahawi made repeated approaches to senior party figures about being elevated to the Lords. Those accounts suggest his request was rebuffed, with Tory insiders citing the controversy that engulfed him during his time as party chair.
Sources close to Zahawi have pushed back on the narrative, disputing that he was “turned down” and suggesting the contact ran the other way, with Conservative figures still interested in his advice and involvement. Zahawi has not publicly confirmed any application for a peerage, and the precise nature of any conversations remains unclear.
Zahawi announced his move to Reform UK this week alongside Nigel Farage, presenting the defection as a political decision driven by the direction of the country and what he described as a need for change. His switch is being seized on by opponents as evidence of turbulence on the right, with both Conservatives and Labour framing the move as opportunistic.