Nadhim Zahawi reacted angrily during his first press conference as a member of Reform UK, calling a question from a journalist a "stupid question." The journalist, Tony Diver, the Associate Political Editor for The Telegraph, had inquired why Zahawi joined a party that provided a platform for a cardiologist with vaccine-skeptical views. This cardiologist had previously suggested that COVID-19 vaccines might be linked to the cancers diagnosed in King Charles III and the Princess of Wales.
Zahawi, who was instrumental in the government's COVID-19 vaccine program in 2020, expressed his disappointment, stating he expected a better question from Diver.