Reform UK insiders have told Sky News they fear the high profile defection of Nadhim Zahawi to their party may “look like naked opportunism”.
Speaking to Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates, some inside the party have said there has been a “decidedly mixed reaction” to the former chancellor’s defection.
Party leader Nigel Farage unveiled Mr Zahawi as the latest – and biggest – defection to Reform UK in a news conference on Monday, with the ex-senior Tory saying he defected as “our wonderful country is sick” and that “Britain needs Reform”.
But not everyone within the party is so delighted by their latest recruit.
Speaking on the Politics at Sam and Anne’s podcast, Coates explained: “It’s really interesting. I actually had one Reform person telling me overnight that there’s a decidedly mixed reaction to the defection of Nadhim Zahawi.
“They were worrying that Zahawi has just said so much stuff as he was around for the entire 14 years in government and was a loyalist to every leader, every Tory leader from 2010.
“So, they worry that to some, this whole thing looks like naked opportunism.”
👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne’s on your podcast app👈
Mr Zahawi has held several roles in government, including serving as chancellor for 63 days, as vaccines minister under Boris Johnson and as education secretary.
But he has been dogged by scandal, having been caught out in the expenses scandal in 2013 for charging the taxpayer to power his horses’ stables, and being sacked as chairman of the Tory party by Rishi Sunak for breaching the ministerial code over his tax affairs.
Read more:
Who is Nadhim Zahawi?
Analysis: How Reform could offer Zahawi a route to the top
Coates added: “The Tories are keen to point out privately that pretty much what the spectators have been saying yesterday, that Zahawi has joined Nadine Dorries, Jake Berry and others, making it look awfully like Boris Johnson’s version of the Conservative Party from a few years back. One former Tory cabinet minister called it ‘same team, new badge’.”
But he warned: “The Tories comparing Reform to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives maybe a double-edged sword and not the best attack line that they might hope it is.”
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Reform fall to lowest poll rating in 10 months – but remain top
Mr Zahawi’s defection comes as a new voting intention poll published on Tuesday put Reform at their lowest level since April.
The Sky x Times poll created by YouGov, ironically the company co-founded by Mr Zahawi, put Reform on 24% (down two points), the Tories on 20% (up one point), and Labour on 19% (up to two points).
The Liberal Democrats are on 16%, while the Greens are down two on 14%.
The poll was carried out before Mr Zahawi’s defection was announced.
But reacting to the poll, Coates said: “It is part of a broad downwards trend in Reform support since what appears to have been their peak around October.
“That coincides with the Conservative ratings starting some sort of recovery from rock bottom, and the salience of immigration starting to gradually decline [as the] most important issue.”
Of course, it is just one poll, and analysts would suggest people should wait to see if the trend continues and is picked up elsewhere.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
‘Not everybody is welcome in Reform’
Nadine Dorries, another ally of Mr Johnson and a fellow defector from the Tories to Reform, failed to explicitly endorse Mr Zahawi but told Sky News “everyone has their own reasons” for joining Mr Farage’s outfit, and warned “the writing is on the wall for the Conservative Party”.
The former culture secretary added that “not everybody is welcome in Reform” and that “there’s a limit to the number of former ministers” the party will accept.
Tory MPs thinking of following Mr Zahawi may “get a nasty shock”, she said. Reacting to the latest poll, she also insisted: “I don’t quite buy the Kemi bounce theory yet.”
