How Reform could offer ever-ambitious Nadhim Zahawi a new route to the top

"He's a superior f****r", was the unvarnished presumption of 1 Reform fig astir the party's latest high-profile recruit.

Most decidedly meant arsenic a compliment, the mentation present is that Nadhim Zahawi volition bring competence and credibility and fortify the entreaty of the fledgling governmental outfit with donors.

He surely offers experience, arsenic good arsenic a backstory much engaging than astir successful the Reform flock.

Politics latest - ticker live

The Iraqi exile who arrived successful the UK incapable to talk English and roseate to go a multimillionaire businessman and yet chancellor.

But possibly Mr Zahawi's proudest governmental play was arsenic vaccines minister, overseeing the wildly palmy rollout of COVID jabs during the pandemic.

So his is present an unusual prime of party, perhaps, fixed dalliances Reform has had with vaccine scepticism arsenic good arsenic outright vaccine conspiracy theories.

Repeated questions astir this evident mismatch astatine his inaugural property league were met with frosty replies - with Mr Zahawi berating journalists for asking "really stupid" questions.

That's not to accidental helium has a spotless track-record, though.

In 2013, helium was forced to apologise for claiming payer expenses to proviso energy to his stables.

Five years later, helium was reprimanded for attending the arguable men-only 'President's Club' gala.

He was elevated to chancellor successful 2022, but days aft walking done the Treasury door, appeared to crook connected past premier curate Boris Johnson by telling him to resign.

Then the last nail successful his frontline governmental vocation - his sacking arsenic Tory president implicit unpaid tax.

So fixed each that, wherefore would an anti-establishment enactment similar Reform clasp idiosyncratic who - each the grounds suggests - is simply a afloat signed up subordinate of said establishment?

Part of the reply to that is the connections and experience.

But different is the imaginable for the party's representation to beryllium softened successful the eyes of much centrist voters who interest astir immoderate of Reform's harder edges.

Yes, determination is simply a hazard of looking similar a 'home for retired Tories' arsenic faces of yesteryear proceed to motion up en masse.

But arsenic 1 Reform fig points out, "the Tory enactment of ten, 15 years agone is simply a damn show amended than the Tory enactment of now".

So if that's the entreaty for Reform, what's successful it for their latest signing?

The co-founder of the polling elephantine YouGov, Nadhim Zahawi is simply a affluent antheral successful his ain close with concern interests and connections astir the world.

Aged 58, wherefore not conscionable spell softly into the sunset?

According to those who cognize him, that's conscionable not Nadhim Zahawi.

They overgarment a representation of a antheral driven by a tendency for attention, yes, but besides by a hunger to beryllium accepted into the precocious echelons of the state helium has made his home.

"He can't beryllium without the attraction and without wanting to beryllium taken seriously," 1 idiosyncratic said.

It's that tendency that's got this erstwhile curate into blistery h2o successful the past.

But it's wide it wasn't thing helium could power disconnected - oregon wanted to power disconnected - erstwhile helium departed the Commons.

So with Reform starring successful the polls, and the Conservatives inactive flagging, this ever-ambitious person believes he's spied 1 much way backmost to the top.