An investigation concluded that Zahawi had not fulfilled the requirements of being an “honest, open and an exemplary leader”
Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked from his position as chairman of the Conservative Party over a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.
In recent days, the Tory MP has been at the centre of controversy surrounding his finances.
Earlier this week, Zahawi admitted that he settled a tax dispute with HM Revenue & Customs during his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
He revealed that he paid what “was due” after it “disagreed about the exact allocation” of shares in the YouGov polling company he co-founded.
Zahawi said his error was “careless and not deliberate.”
Nadhim Zahawi said the error in his taxes, for which he paid a fine, was "not deliberate".
But HMRC boss Jim Harra says "there are no penalties for innocent errors in your tax affairs"
pic.twitter.com/lW9TmlHSP2
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) January 26, 2023
He did not disclose the size of the settlement – reported to be an estimated £4.8m including a 30% penalty – or whether he paid a fine.
The issue became the focus of attention at this week’s PMQs, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenging Sunak about the debacle, after he initially resisted calls to sack Zahawi.
"Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?"
Keir Starmer bullies Rishi Sunak over his decision not to sack Nadhim Zahawi. pic.twitter.com/pScIivQJYC
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) January 25, 2023
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has now decided Zahawi can no longer remain in his post following the conclusion of an investigation by his new ethics advisor, Sir Laurie Magnus.
In a letter to Zahawi published on Sunday morning, Sunak said it is “clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code”.
The PM’s letter sacking Zahawi https://t.co/ow44kAEZ7o pic.twitter.com/p7HXxy0NH1
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) January 29, 2023
The PM had initially resisted calls to sack Zahawi from his role in the Cabinet, and asked Sir Laurie to assess whether the HMRC settlement amounted to a breach of the ministerial code.
After presenting his findings to Sunak, Sir Laurie concluded in a letter released this morning that Mr Zahawi “has shown insufficient regard for the general principles of the Ministerial Code” and that he has not fulfilled the requirements of being an “honest, open and an exemplary leader”.
Sir Laurie found that Zahawi had made three breaches of the ministerial code, covered up HMRC’s investigation into his finances, covered up HMRC’s findings, and mad untrue statements to the media about it.
Sacked on a Sunday morning. Here’s why. Sir Laurie Magnus found Nadhim Zahawi guilty of 3 difficult breaches of the ministerial code: covering up HMRC’s investigation, covering up its findings, and making untrue statements to the media about it. Unequivocal and damming. pic.twitter.com/VoENyMEJDl
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) January 29, 2023
Sir Laurie wrote: “Mr Zahawi’s conduct as a minister has fallen below the high standards that, as prime minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government”.
Related links:
- Matt Hancock slammed for donating just 3% of I’m A Celeb fee to charity
- Simon Pegg labels Rishi Sunak an ‘unelected p***k’ in impassioned ‘f**k the Tories’ social media plea
- Tory MP says his colleagues Nadhim Zahawi and Sajid Javid ‘look the same to me’
