Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jul 27, 2025

Zahawi: Millionaire former chancellor in hot water over tax affairs

Zahawi: Millionaire former chancellor in hot water over tax affairs

From child refugee to entrepreneur and Cabinet minister, Mr Zahawi has a compelling backstory
Nadhim Zahawi, the Tory chairman in hot water over his tax affairs, is a multi-millionaire former businessman who had a meteoric rise to political power.

He has a compelling backstory, having made it as an entrepreneur after coming to the UK as a child refugee unable to speak English.

Born in Iraq to a Kurdish family, Mr Zahawi arrived in England as a nine-year-old when his parents fled the regime of Saddam Hussein.


He grew up in Sussex and studied chemical engineering at University College London.

In 2000, Mr Zahawi co-founded the YouGov polling company, staying involved in the running of the successful firm for a decade and becoming very wealthy in the process.

But his financial affairs have been in the spotlight amid claims he avoided tax, using an offshore company registered in Gibraltar to hold shares in YouGov, allegations he denies.

He recently admitted that he paid what HM Revenue & Customs said “was due” after the tax authority “disagreed about the exact allocation” of founder shares in the firm held by his father.

Mr Zahawi is believed to be one of the richest politicians in the House of Commons.

He first entered Parliament in 2010 as the Tory MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

He spent nearly eight years on the backbenches, gaining media attention in 2013 for claiming expenses for heating stables for his horses.

Getting his first junior minister role in the Department for Education under Theresa May in 2018, he soon rose up the ranks to become Education Secretary.

But it was when he was promoted to help lead the Government’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in 2020 that he rose to prominence.

Mr Zahawi was appointed chancellor by Boris Johnson last summer, hours after Rishi Sunak’s dramatic resignation, and the day before the scandal-plagued then-prime minister was forced to quit.

Questions are swirling as to whether Mr Zahawi negotiated the dispute with HMRC during his two-month stint in the job, when he was in charge of the country’s taxation.

He made a doomed attempt to replace Mr Johnson in the Tory leadership race.

When Liz Truss emerged victorious, she appointed Mr Zahawi Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

After her premiership imploded, Mr Zahawi initially announced he would be backing Mr Johnson to return as PM, before switching allegiance to Mr Sunak on the same day, after the former leader said he would not be entering the contest.

Mr Sunak is now facing questions over how much he knew about Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs when he brought him into his Cabinet, as minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office and Conservative party chairman.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
×