A careless’ chancellor who took one too many chances

Sean O’Grady on the flaws that led to Zahawi’s downfall

Had things been a little different, Nadhim Zahawi, rather than Rishi Sunak, might have become Britain's first non-white prime minister. Tory politics were unusually chaotic and febrile last summer, after all, and it didn't seem such an outlandish prospect. However, a story in The Independent on 9 July that

revealed he was being investigated by the tax authorities threw sufficient doubt on Zahawi's candidacy that he failed to get further than the first round.

He did still win the support of 25 Conservative MPs, beating Jeremy Hunt into last place on 18, but it was nowhere near enough for him to carry on. Perhaps, all things considered, it is just as well that he didn't make it to No 10.

He was certainly near the top of the greasy pole. Last July, going into the leadership election, Zahawi had extracted the post of chancellor of the Exchequer from the beleaguered Boris Johnson, in return for not resigning along with Sunak and dozens of other ministers as the Johnson government disintegrated. He'd declared his loyalty to Johnson, but the very next day he called on Johnson to resign - while he himself carried on as chancellor.

Zahawi recruited the well-known political strategist Lynton Crosby to help him with his leadership bid. He had a good backstory, and was well liked by the grassroots. Britain's highly successful vaccine rollout was his responsibility - he had been handed the task by Johnson, who had had enough of the "fucking hopeless" Matt Hancock.

As Zahawi remarked at the time: "If a young boy who came here aged 11 without a word of English can serve at the highest levels

of Her Majesty's Government and run to be the next prime minister, anything is possible."