The former Umno Youth chief, who recently rejoined the party after being sacked three years ago, said Zahid’s admission underscored Zahid’s sincerity in reopening Umno’s doors to him.

“You will rarely see a party leader acknowledge that there were shortcomings on both sides,” he told reporters after attending Umno’s 80th anniversary gathering today, at which Zahid said both sides had made mistakes.

Khairy said he was extremely thankful for Zahid’s “magnanimity and sincerity”, adding that the remark suggested the slate is clean and that both sides could now work together to strengthen the party.

He also took Zahid’s remarks as a pointed reminder on loyalty.

“I did also sense that, as a leader and as an older person, what he was saying was that loyalty is important. That was, I think, a very sharp piece of advice,” he said. “It’s not important to be loyal to anyone in the party, but to be loyal to the party. And I think that was a fatherly way of reminding me about my next phase in Umno.”

The former three-term Rembau MP had been openly critical of Zahid in the lead-up to the 2022 general election, especially after Barisan Nasional fielded him to contest the urban Pakatan Harapan stronghold of Sungai Buloh.

He was sacked in January 2023 for breaching party discipline during the 2022 general election, but rejoined the party last month under Zahid’s “Rumah Bangsa” initiative.

Asked about his role in the party, Khairy said there was “no official position” for him, although Zahid has asked him to look into “one or two things”. He said: “I think it’s a bit too early to share. I’ve not started yet, but there is certainly no official position.”

In March, Khairy said he had no intention of holding any key positions in Umno if he were to return to the party’s fold.