Nadhim Zahawi: Sunak says he handled case decisively

Rishi Sunak has defended his handling of Nadhim Zahawi's sacking as Tory Party chairman on Sunday, saying he followed "the right process".

An investigation by the PM's ethics adviser found Mr Zahawi had breached the ministerial code seven times while failing to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs.

Mr Sunak said he "acted pretty decisively" once the inquiry finished.

Labour said the prime minister should have sacked Mr Zahawi "long ago".

Deputy leader Angela Rayner called Mr Sunak a "hopelessly weak" prime minister who had "been dragged kicking and screaming into doing what he should have done long ago".

"Rishi Sunak shouldn't have needed an ethics adviser to tell him that Nadhim Zahawi's position was untenable," she said.

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Ms Rayner and Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds have now written to the prime minister asking him to "come clean" about when he was made aware of the HMRC investigation into Mr Zahawi.

But speaking in County Durham, the prime minister defended his handling of the situation and stressed his commitment to "integrity".

"What I have done is follow a process, which is the right process," he said.

"As soon as I knew about the situation, I appointed somebody independent, looked at it, got the advice and acted pretty decisively to move on.

"The things that happened before I was prime minister, I can't do anything about. What I think you can hold me to account for is how I deal with the things that arise on my watch."

Mr Sunak also promised he would "take whatever steps are necessary to restore the integrity back into politics".

Asked if Mr Sunak had ever asked Mr Zahawi about press reports about his tax affairs, his spokesman declined to comment, saying he wouldn't discuss private conversations.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the spokesman added that the PM had been advised there were were no outstanding issues involving HMRC when he appointed Mr Zahawi in October.

Nadhim Zahawi had served as Conservative Party chairman and minister without portfolio in Rishi Sunak's government

The BBC understands that Mr Zahawi had paid around £5m in total, including a penalty. At the time he was responsible for the UK's tax system as chancellor under Boris Johnson.

Mr Zahawi has previously insisted that he acted properly, and that his tax error was "careless and not deliberate".

Supporters of Mr Zahawi have raised concerns about the ethics probe with the BBC, saying he had only one meeting with the prime minister's independent ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus.

They questioned whether due process had been followed and suggested Mr Zahawi had not been allowed to make sufficient representations.

'Omissions'

Mr Sunak's spokesman rejected suggestions the probe was rushed, insisting Sir Laurie had been given enough time to establish the facts.

Sir Laurie found Mr Zahawi's "omissions" of information constituted a "serious failure to meet the standards set out in the ministerial code".

He was also critical of the MP for describing news stories about his tax affairs as "smears" in July 2022, and failing to correct the record until earlier this month.

"I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness," he said.

After receiving the findings on Sunday, Mr Sunak wrote to Mr Zahawi to say he had decided to remove him from government.

Mr Zahawi thanked the prime minister and said he took pride in his role in the vaccine rollout and the Queen's funeral - but did not offer an apology or mention his tax affairs.

He promised to support the prime minister "from the backbenches in the coming years".

Lord Cruddas, president of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, which campaigns to strengthen party democracy, called for Tory members to choose Mr Zahawi's replacement.

And Steve Brine, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, argued that "confirmation" hearings should be held after cabinet ministers were appointed, to increase scrutiny.

But Downing Street said there were no plans to change the way ministers were vetted.

Timeline

April 2021: HMRC starts having interactions with Mr Zahawi, including a meeting with him and his advisers. Mr Zahawi - who was vaccines minister at the time - told Sir Laurie he believed he was "merely being asked certain queries" rather than being investigated. Sir Laurie says Mr Zahawi should have understood this was "a serious matter" and included it in his declaration of interests

15 September 2021: Mr Zahawi is made education secretary by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sir Laurie says Mr Zahawi again failed to declare his interest

5 July 2022: He is promoted to chancellor. He completes a declaration of interest for his new role but makes no reference to an investigation by HMRC

10 July 2022: Mr Zahawi describes reports he is being investigated by HMRC as "smears"

15 July 2022: He receives a letter from HMRC and subsequently updates his declaration of interests to acknowledge an investigation was under way.

August 2022: Mr Zahawi reaches an agreement with HMRC for failing to take "reasonable care". The BBC has been told the total amount paid was about £5m

September 2022: A final settlement is agreed with HMRC but Mr Zahawi does not update his declaration of interest form with the new information

September and October 2022: Mr Zahawi becomes a levelling up minister under Liz Truss's short-lived premiership and Tory Party chair under Rishi Sunak. Again, Mr Zahawi does not update his declaration of interest form

21 January 2023: Mr Zahawi issues a statement acknowledging he reached a settlement with HMRC following an investigation

23 January 2023: The prime minister asks his ethics adviser Sir Laurie to look into the disclosures made about the tax affairs of Mr Zahawi

29 January 2023: The PM receives Sir Laurie's report, which found there had been a "serious breach of the ministerial code", and Mr Zahawi is sacked