Controversial former Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK after apparently unsuccessfully “begging” to be nominated for a peerage.
The former ally of Boris Johnson has become the highest-profile politician yet to ditch the Conservatives for Nigel Farage’s party – but question marks are being raised about the motivations of a man who was sacked as a minister for breaching the ministerial code in relation to his tax affairs.
