Nadhim Zahawi

About

Iraqi-born British politician of Kurdish origin who serves as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is a member of the Conservative Party, and has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010. He has 100,000 followers on Twitter.

Before Fame

He studied chemical engineering at University College London. Before entering politics, he was the European Marketing Director for Smith & Brooks Ltd. He co-founded YouGov in 2000 with Stephan Shakespeare, a former spokesman for Jeffrey Archer.

Trivia

In 2021, he was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" for Life. Other Right Honourables include Justin Trudeau, Theresa May, and Jean Chretien. He is a keen rider and show jumper. He and his wife Lana own and run a riding school.

Family Life

He was born into a Kurdish family in Baghdad, Iraq. When he was 11, during Saddam Hussein's early years in power, he and his family fled to the United Kingdom. His father, Hareth, is a businessman and a director of Balshore Investments.

Associated With

After losing out on the 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, he endorsed Liz Truss. And despite his initial support for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he and Home Secretary Priti Patel called for Johnson's resignation in July of 2022.