The new chancellor continues his rapid recent rise which saw him only become a junior minister in 2018 and first entered the cabinet as education minister less than a year ago.
Key to the rise of the 55-year-old MP for Stratford-upon-Avon is his stint from 2020 to 2021 as Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health – or ‘Vaccines Minister’ for short.
Zahawi has won huge credit for the very rapid initial roll-out of Covid vaccines in the UK, something regularly cited by Boris Johnson as one of the defining achievements of his time in office.
When the role ended, cabinet reshuffles were inevitable, and in education Zahawi was once again a solid minister and good media representative, albeit one whose reputation was inevitably helped by succeeding the hapless Gavin Williamson.
Zahawi has been regularly talked about as one of the contenders to succeed Johnson in recent months, and he has a personal background that matches his apparent ambition.
Born in Baghdad to Iraqi Kurdish parents, Zahawi arrived in the UK aged nine, speaking no English and speaking eloquently about the prejudice he faced. Co-founder of polling company YouGov, Zahawi has also earned significant sums from the oil industry and is one of the UK’s richest MPs.
His self-made status is seen by some as an asset in what looks likely to be a battle to take over from Johnson – but he will also face scrutiny over his business career and many outside financial interests.
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