The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked the Conservative Party Chair Nadhim Zahawi for a “serious breach” of the ministerial code
Zahawi committed seven breaches of the ministerial code and repeatedly failed to be ‘open & honest’ about his tax affairs, ethics watchdog concluded
Sunak felt he had no choice but to sack him
The Ethics advisor Sir Laurie Magnus said that Zahawi and his advisers met with HMRC, the tax authorities, in June 2021, and that “he should have understood at the outset” he was under investigation.
However,says the report, he never properly disclosed this in public, and constantly gave the impression he was simply responding to admin queries from HMRC and did not update his ministerial declaration of interests till mid July 2022.
Speaking on the BBC this morning Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that Sunak should have sacked Nadhim Zahawi a long time ago but was too weak to act.He is a Prime Minister trying to manage his MPs, not govern in the national interest.
The Lib Dem Deputy Daisy Cooper said:
“Given this was a serious breach of the ministerial code, Nadhim Zahawi must do the right thing and resign as an MP.”
“He has shown he is unfit to serve in Cabinet and unfit to serve the people of Stratford-on-Avon.”
