Who is Nadhim Zahawi, Britain's new finance minister replacing Rishi Sunak?

Here are some facts about Britain's new finance minister Nadhim Zahawi, appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday following the resignation of Rishi Sunak.

Nadhim Zahawi, 55, hails from Iraq and moved to Britain in 1976 when his Kurdish family fled the rule of Saddam Hussein.

Nadhim Zahawi was also prevented to travel to the US when Donald Trump invoked a ban on the middle eastern countries in 2017.


Boris Johnson on Wednesday appointed Nadhim Zahawi, who is making all the news nowadays, as the new finance minister of the country. He was promoted from the position of education secretary.

The Iraqi-born British politician faced learning difficulties in the early stages of his education due to difficulties in speaking English. He did his initial education in various schools and then moved to University London College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Before entering into politics, he was a successful businessman and co-founded YouGov, the internet-based data analytics firm and served as CEO of the same company from 2005-2010.

Later, he became an adviser to MP Jeffrey Archer, who helped him further his political journey. Zahawi became a councillor of the Conservative Party in the London Borough of Wandsworth, where he served from 1994-2006, and contested a parliamentary election in 2010 for Stratford-upon-Avon and won the seat. He was appointed to the policy unit in the cabinet by then Prime Minister David Cameron.

After serving roles as a junior minister for education and business, he was appointed by Boris Johnson as education secretary in 2021.