UK PM Sunak fires party chairman Zahawi after breach of ministerial code

Sunak had ordered an independent adviser to investigate questions over the tax affairs of Zahawi, who was briefly finance minister during a period of political turmoil in Britain last year.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC on Sunday morning, British Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the independent adviser Laurie Magnus was asked 'to look rapidly' at the situation and wrote to the Prime Minister today.

Zahawi has said Britain's tax authorities ruled he had been "careless" with his declarations but hadn't deliberately made an error to pay less tax.

"Following the completion of the Independent Adviser’s investigation – the findings of which he has shared with us both – it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code," Sunak said in a letter to Zahawi.

"As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s Government."

The independent adviser found that Zahawi had been misleading when he said that reports last July over his tax affairs were "clearly smears."

Zahawi did not correct the record until last week when he said he had reached a settlement with the authorities.

"I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness," Magnus said in a letter to Sunak.

He added that Zahawi had shown "insufficient regard" for the requirement "to be honest, open and an exemplary leader through his own behaviour."

"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," he said.

Voters from Zahawi's Stratford-upon-Avon constituency said the Conservative Party Chair had failed in that test of leadership.

"And I think it brings shame on the town and shame on the country and shame on the party that he represents,” said local resident Kevin Hand.

Chair of the Labour Party Anneliese Dodds criticised the Prime Minister for not acting earlier.

"This shows an incredibly weak approach from Rishi Sunak, and this has been part of a pattern under the Conservatives - of Ministers feeling that rules that apply to the public simply don't apply to them," Dodds said.

Sunak had initially stood by Zahawi before ordering an independent adviser to investigate questions over his tax affairs after it emerged Zahawi had settled a probe by Britain's tax authority HMRC last year.

Zahawi's response to Sunak did not mention either the HMRC or the independent adviser's investigation. He expressed concern at the conduct of some in the media in recent weeks and said he would support Sunak's agenda as a backbench lawmaker.

"I am sorry to my family for the toll this has taken on them," he said.

It is a setback to Sunak's attempt at a government reset after a chaotic year that saw three different British prime ministers. An investigation into alleged bullying by Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is ongoing and could cause further headaches.

Zahawi's sacking comes as Sunak's government, facing decades-high inflation and a wave of public sector strikes, trails badly in opinion polls ahead of an expected 2024 election.

Reuters