PM Sunak sacks minister over tax penalty row, orders probe

London, January 29

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday sacked one of his Cabinet ministers and Conservative Party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, after he was found to have been in serious breach of the Ministerial Code.

Zahawi, who was a minister without portfolio as the chief of the governing Tory party, had faced fierce pressure in recent days to quit over questions about his finances after it emerged that he had agreed a penalty settlement with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department.

Sunak had ordered an independent investigation into the Iraqi-born former Chancellor’s tax affairs amid growing Opposition demands for him to sack Zahawi.

His independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, submitted his assessment on whether the HMRC settlement amounted to a breach of the ministerial code.

“When I became Prime Minister, I pledged that the government I lead would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” wrote Sunak in his letter to Zahawi, released by Downing Street.