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Nadhim Zahawi on Trevor Phillips on Sunday. Nadhim Zahawi has been condemned over his “disgraceful” attempts to defend a Reform UK ad attacking Kemi Badenoch which has been widely criticised as misleading. The former Tory, who defected to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year, insisted there was nothing wrong with the controversial social media post, which was produced following the jailing of Henry Nowak’s killed. The 18-year-old was handcuffed and arrested by police as he lay dying after being wrongly accused of racism by his killer, Vickram Digwa. Digwa, a British-born Sikh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court last Monday. Farage has said the case is an example of “two-tier policing” and anti-white discrimination. The Reform ad showed a quote from 2020 in which Badenoch said “black lives do matter”, alongside a partial quote she gave this week in which she said “I don’t care about white lives matter”. However, her full quote, which she gave in an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain , was: “I don’t want to hear about Black Lives Matter. I don’t want to hear about White Lives Matter. Everyone matters.” On Sky News on Sunday morning, presenter Trevor Phillips asked Zahawi if someone at Reform “is getting sacked” for the ad. He replied: “In 2020, she said black lives do matter. In 2026, she says I don’t care about black lives matter or white lives matter. Why? Because she finds it hard to talk about a white boy who bled out on the street.” But Phillips told him that was “clearly a misrepresentation of what she said”. “Are you telling me that this is ok,” he asked in reference to the advert. Zahawi said: “It’s her words, that’s what she said. Why is it so different when it’s a white boy, that we’re all so frightened of upsetting anyone?” The presenter hit back: “This is not you at all. You’re doing what all the others do. You are inventing your own question and answering it. “You’re not answering the question I asked you, which is ’is this a fair representation of what Kemi Badenoch said ir not?” Zahawi said: “I would have more respect for Kemi Badenoch if she said ’by the way, in 2020 I was wrong.” Reform's Nadhim Zahawi, an ex-Tory chancellor, refuses to condemn a Reform ad that has been widely criticised for misrepresenting Tory leader Kemi Badenoch's comments on race. #TrevorPhillips | @TrevorPTweets Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/suR4dHDKoa — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 7, 2026 Social media users slammed the former Tory chancellor. Disgraceful. https://t.co/flskG5yLvA — Iain Dale ⚒️ (@IainDale) June 7, 2026 This is the problem with the washed up former Tories who have defected to Reform (at all levels, but especially the former MPs) - they're so desperate to please their new boss, they'll say anything, do anything, weather any humiliation in search of acceptance. https://t.co/3oTrt3UFyV — Chris Clarkson (@ToryMemo82) June 7, 2026 Given the amount of problems this country is facing (spiralling debt and no plan), it’s extraordinary that Reform are doubling down on this. Embarrassing for a party that needs to convince folk it’s a serious party of potential government. https://t.co/V7E5Oty0Id — Duncan Barkes (@DuncanBarkes) June 7, 2026 This is just Zahawi being shameless, stubborn and completely tone deaf. And they are the very politest words I can come up with to describe that exchange. Totally unsurprising though. — Paul Philpott (@PaulPhilpo56260) June 7, 2026 Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... David Lammy Says He Told JD Vance He Was 'Wrong' To Blame Immigration For Henry Nowak's Murder 'Shove Your Division': Trump Government Sparks Angry Backlash By Wading Into Henry Nowak Row Farage Torn Apart For 'Dangerous And Un-British' Response To Henry Nowak's Murder
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