Stratford MP says he’s committed to constituency after links to high-profile job
STRATFORD MP Nadhim Zahawi has said he’s committed to fighting for his seat at the next general election despite national reports linking him to a high-profile job.
The former chancellor is reportedly in talks about chairing the Very Group, the large online retailer and financial services firm and the largest part of the Barclay family’s business empire.
Sky News said the potential move had fuelled speculation that Mr Zahawi would join a mass exodus of Conservative MPs at the general election. It reported that discussions were ongoing, but added there was no certainty Mr Zahawi would take the job.
At the weekend, a spokesperson for Mr Zahawi told the Herald: “Nadhim is campaigning most weekends and is focused on making sure that Philip Seccombe is returned as the police and crime commissioner for Warwickshire on 2nd May and he is returned as the MP for Stratford-on-Avon when the prime minister calls the general election.”
Mr Zahawi is said to have strong ties with the Barclay family. He had an intermediary role between the family and the Abu Dhabi-based investor IMI Investments during discussions about the future of the Daily Telegraph. He had been tipped to chair the newspaper group, but Downing Street has since prohibited ownership of British newspapers by investors connected to a foreign state.
Mr Zahawi, according to Sky News, is seen as a good match for the Very Group, which includes the Very and Littlewoods brands, following his experience as a co-founder of YouGov, the market research and polling company which he sold in a multi-million-pound deal.
It is not the first time that claims have been reported about Mr Zahawi’s future as Stratford MP. Former Stratford Conservative member David Spencer wrote in his resignation to the group that he was worried Mr Zahawi would resign as an MP close to the general election and allow the central Conservative Party to parachute in a candidate with no local credentials.
Mr Spencer helped set up an alternative to the Conservatives, Stratford Can, promising to put forward a candidate to rival Mr Zahawi for the Tory vote. However, no candidate has yet been announced and requests for further information from the Herald have gone unanswered.
n Other candidates standing in the police and crime commission elections include Sarah Feeney (Lab) and Richard Dickson (Lib Dem). A full list will be available after 10th April.