This week, only Nadhim Zahawi has ridden a political rollercoaster to rival the one that ejected Boris Johnson from Downing Street. On Monday, he was the UK’s education secretary — his first cabinet posting. By Tuesday, he had been promoted to chancellor. On Wednesday, he was plotting tax cuts alongside the prime minister. And by Thursday, he had played a central role in ending Johnson’s premiership.
The 55-year-old’s elevation to the second most powerful role in British politics is the latest step in a rapid rise that his allies hope could see him become Britain’s first non-white prime minister. But some senior Conservatives think that his rapid about-turn against Johnson will backfire.
Zahawi was born in Baghdad in 1967 to a Kurdish family that fled to Britain when he was just 9. The future education secretary did not speak any English when he arrived, leading his teachers to initially fear he suffered from learning difficulties. He was educated at both state and private schools, before earning a degree in chemical engineering from University College London.