Nadhim Zahawi’s become the latest Tory MP to quit and his resignation letter was a proper jaw-dropper
Former chancellor for 15 minutes Nadhim Zahawi has become the latest Conservative MP to announce they will be standing down at the next election.
Zahawi, you might remember, gained notoriety back in the day after it emerged that part of the expenses he claimed – paid for by the taxpayer – was being used for the power supply to his stables.
More recently he was censured for failing to reveal he was under investigation by the HMRC when he was appointed chancellor, paying an estimated £5m in a settlement to the taxman.
We mention all this not because he’ll be particularly missed but because of his resignation statement which – it really is no exaggeration to say – is a quite extraordinary read from start to finish.
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) May 9, 2024
Just in case that’s tricky to read …
And here are our favourite things people said about it.
1.
It’s an awful lot of words to say “I don’t want to be the next Michael Portillo” https://t.co/B4mDIJTk7v
— Otto English (@Otto_English) May 9, 2024
2.
Mr @nadhimzahawi,
A quick note on this.
You say “…as Chancellor of the Exchequer, I ensured Ukraine’s valiant efforts against Russia were properly supported”, may I just politely enquire just how much you were able to actually do in the whole 48 hours you held the position?… https://t.co/KZdiyLHyfG
— The Bear (@i_iratus) May 9, 2024
3.
‘But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle.’ https://t.co/R5ESCNJ6HU— HENRY MORRIS (@mrhenrymorris) May 9, 2024
4.
That’s an awful lot of flowery words just to say: “I lost my job because I’m a tax-dodging wanker.” https://t.co/cwGSG6qKNz
— Jonathan Pie (@JonathanPieNews) May 9, 2024
5.
The sheer hypocrisy drips off this. “How is it that a boy from Baghdad who came to these shores, fleeing persecution and unable to speak a word of English, was able to do as much as I have?”
If you had come a few decades later, you’d be on your way to Rwanda! #SmallBoats #Rwanda https://t.co/SDmzlVmwjx— North West Bylines (@NWBylines) May 9, 2024
6.
Good grief. ‘Humblebrag’ doesn’t come close to describing this symphony of self-regard, which reaches a quivering cadenza of amour-propre when he weirdly tries to recruit Shakespeare as a constituent, before quoting an honest woman’s appeal to a corrupt and judgmental politician. https://t.co/9nPz4OzVAD
— Nicholas Pegg (@NicholasPegg) May 9, 2024
7.
How I singlehandedly cured Covid and ended the war in Ukraine, all while shaving my head daily and living in Shakespeareland, by N. Zahawi. https://t.co/cNbKq1S3JY
— Theresa Musgrove (@BrokenBarnet) May 9, 2024
8.
Disappointing. Absolutely no mention of the tax scandal he was fired over. And nothing about the time we all paid for the electricity supply to his stables. https://t.co/AgFxTNoCvB
— Moog (@a_toots) May 9, 2024
9.
This is actually a literary masterpiece, the mixture of strange phrases (every morning as I shave my head), ostentatious quotation, humility & self regard, floridity and bathos, it’s like something Mr Biswas would write. Character revealed in a few paragraphs https://t.co/Y70UlnXIgj
— Rob Palk (@robpalkwriter) May 9, 2024
10.
‘As my most famous constituent once wrote: “Out, vile jelly”…’ https://t.co/Y56o8MeOe7
— christhebarker (@christhebarker) May 9, 2024
11.
It’s getting to the point where it would almost be more surprising to see a Conservative MP say they will fight the next election, than that they won’t https://t.co/ivSnKHGiCR
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) May 9, 2024
12.
This letter screams ‘I wanted to do English Lit at university but instead I did chemical engineering’ https://t.co/UF4afCm6q3
— Anita Singh (@anitathetweeter) May 9, 2024
13.
Is anyone else finding it odd to mention shaving your head in a resignation letter? https://t.co/GKFANvbBem
— Sophie (@SophieAziz123) May 9, 2024
Source @nadhimzahawi
