Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform as polling lead extended
Former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK as fresh polling has shown the party extending its lead over Labour and the Tories.
Zahawi, a former ally of Boris Johnson who served as Chancellor for a matter of months, announced his high-profile defection in a press conference in Westminster on Monday.
Along with new devotees Nadine Dorries and Danny Kruger, it is the most significant switchover since the General Election in 2024.
His defection coincides with fresh polling data showing Reform extending in national surveys conducted by Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy.
Nigel Farage’s party now sits on 33 per cent of the voter share while both Labour and the Conservative Party are on 19 per cent each.
Reform’s lead has been extended by two points since the last poll in December.
The Green Party has overtaken the Liberal Democrats, which are now on 12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
Reform’s new ‘footsoldier’ praises Farage
During a press conference on Monday, Zahawi made references to Reform’s solutions to solving key voter concerns and compared the UK to his place of birth, Iraq.
Polling showed tackling the cost of living was the top concern, followed by reducing immigration and improving health and social care.
“We can all see that our beautiful, ancient, kind, magical island story has reached a dark and dangerous chapter,” Zahawi said.
“To anyone trying to get a doctor’s appointment, to anyone who wants to express an opinion on X or even just down the pub, to anyone who wants their children to be taught facts, not harmful fictions at school, to anyone just trying to earn a living and not get crushed into the dirt by ever-growing taxes – even if you don’t yet realise that Britain needs Reform, you know in your heart of hearts that our wonderful country is sick.
Zahawi also defended the Tories’ record on “stabilising the economy” after Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s time in Downing Street while praising reforms on education and welfare.
He said he would be a “footsoldier” for the party in upcoming electoral campaigns and said that Farage would “deliver for this nation”. He also deleted tweets from over ten years ago where he called the Reform leader “racist”.
A Tory spokesman said: “Reform is fast becoming the party of has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train.
“Their latest recruit used to say he’d be ‘frightened to live in a country’ run by Nigel Farage, which shows the level of loyalty for sale.”
Method note: Freshwater Strategy interviewed n=1,250 eligible voters in the UK, aged 18+ online, between 9 – 11 January 2026. Margin of Error +/- 2.8%. Data are weighted to be representative of UK voters. Freshwater Strategy are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules.