Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Zawahi Out as UK Tory Party Chair
British Conservative Party Chairman Nadhim Zawahi got his walking papers from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday over some tax problems. An independent investigator found that Mr. Zawahi had violated the ministerial code and should be removed. The PM acted on that. Mr. Zawahi might have been all right if he had simply been more transparent. He might not have been made a member of cabinet, but now, he is out of cabinet and looks sleazy. This also calls into question the political judgment of the PM. It certainly puts paid to the idea that competences back at Number 10.
Mr. Zawahi is one of those immigrants whose new countries adore. He came to the UK as a refugee from Iraq not speaking any English. He made his was through school, eventually earning a chemical engineering degree from Uni College London. He founded a polling firm, YouGov, and he made a pile of money. By 2010, he was a Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon (birthplace of William Shakespeare), held a couple cabinet positions and then, he became chairman of the Conservative Party. While not exactly rags-to-riches (dad was a well-connected Iraqi businessman), he did something few could accomplish.
Moreover, he did a good job with the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. That could have been a disaster if the logistics had not been managed well. So, it is safe to say that Mr. Zawahi demonstrated the same kind of competence in management that he used in building his company. That is exactly what the Conservative Party needs, and it is what the country needs. If it were only about doing the job well, there would be nothing to see here.
Mr. Zawahi, however, had issues with the taxman, he was opaque about it, and as Chancellor of the Exchequer (one of his jobs before becoming party chair), he was in a position to influence the outcome. This journal has no interest in making accusations about impropriety that cannot be substantiated. In this case, such an accusation is unnecessary. He lost his job as party chair because he violated the ministerial code (party chair is a member of cabinet, and therefore, bound by the code. The relevant portion of the code is section 7, Ministers\' private interests (which taxes clearly are).
It reads in part, "7.1 Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise." It also reads, "7.7 Ministers must scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their Ministerial position and their private financial interests."
The violation is plain as day. He was Chancellor, and he had an issue with the taxman. There is a definite perception that there was a perceived conflict of interest between his problem and his ministerial role. He had to go.
Mr. Zawahi will be fine, of course. He remains a successful and admired man in many circles. The government and the party are different matters entirely. The government, particularly the PM, look inept. The entire dramas with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were because of perceived and real bungling. Prime Minister Sunak was supposed to be a return to competence. That is now not the case.
As for the party, the Tories lag Labour in the most recent polls by more than 20 points. Indeed, one poll out today shows Labour on 51%. Local elections are 13 weeks away, and if the Conservatives get the shellacking they appear on course to suffer, Sir Keir Starmer will probably be the next PM with the Tories in opposition.
Can anything be done to salvage the mess? One does not see a course of action that can work in the time remaining until the general election due in the next year. Still, if there is a move that might work, putting Sir John Major in the party chairman\'s role might be it. He knows how to win elections, and he has no reputation for the kind of silliness that has plagued the party since Brexit.
© Copyright 2023 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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