Rishi Sunak says he acted “decisively” in sacking Nadeem Zahawi after row over tax matters | Politics news

[ad_1]

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he acted “decisively” in sacking Nadeem Zahawi as chairman of the Conservative Party after a row over his tax affairs.

Speaking in Country Durham at the launch of his government’s emergency care plan, the prime minister defended his handling of the situation and stressed his commitment to “integrity” and the need to follow appropriate procedures.

“What I did was follow a process, which is the right process,” he said.

“Integrity is really important to me — you all want to see that government is run right, that it’s run with integrity and there’s accountability when people don’t act the way they should or if something isn’t going right, and that’s what we did.”

Labor is asking if the Conservatives can be ‘trusted’ in Britain’s Ministry of Defense – the latest policy

Mr Sunak also promised that he would “take whatever steps are necessary to bring integrity back into politics”.

The prime minister said, “The things that happened before I became prime minister, I can’t do anything about them.”

“What I think you can hold me accountable for is how I deal with things that arise on my watch.

“And as you saw, when it came to Nazim Al-Zahawi, I asked the Independent Consultant to look into the matter immediately, and to act on its findings immediately.

“That should give you some confidence that these things matter to me, that I will take whatever steps are necessary to put integrity back into politics, and that you can be confident that the process is working.”

Al-Zahawi was sacked from his post as Conservative Party chairman on Sunday after an ethics inquiry found the handling of his tax affairs a “serious breach” of ministerial law.

Mr Sunak had resisted previous calls from opposition parties to sack Mr Zahawi after reports he had paid a fine as part of a £4.8m settlement dispute with HMRC.

But after completing an investigation by his new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus – which found that Mr Zahawi had “showed insufficient interest in the general principles of ministerial law” – Mr Sunak swiftly removed the former Tory chairman from office.

Please use the Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player

3:11 Al-Zahawi was expelled due to a tax dispute

Al-Sanak’s critics said he should have acted sooner in removing Zahawi.

But the prime minister said that based on the facts contained in Sir Lowry’s report released Sunday morning, he “was able to make a very quick decision that it was no longer appropriate for Nadim Al-Zahawi to continue in the government”.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson reiterated to reporters on Monday that Mr Zahavi’s tax penalty was not disclosed to Mr Sunak upon his appointment.

Read more: Who is Nadim Al Zahawi? Politician sacked over his tax affairs Rishi Sunak: From zahawi and rap to seatbelt slip – twists and scandals in his first months as prime minister

Yesterday, Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Labor Leader Anneliese Dodds wrote to Mr Sunak asking him to give the public “full transparency” about what he knows about the investigation into Zahawi’s tax affairs and when.

Dodds called Mr Sunak “weak” for not sacking Zahawi “when this mysterious case first came to light”.

“Rishi Sunak should not have needed a moral advisor to tell him that Nadeem Zahawi’s position was untenable, but instead he continued to support the man who appointed him to the government,” Ms Rainer added.

Speaking to Sky News earlier today, shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas Symonds suggested the PM may have been lying about what he knew about Mr Al Zahawi’s tax affairs.

Please use the Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player

8:43 The back must be cleansed of al-Zahawi

Asked if he thought Mr Sunak had lied about what he knew about the matter, Mr Thomas Symonds replied: “How was the prime minister not aware of the truth of the investigation when Mr Zahawi announced it in July?”

The row surrounding Al-Zahawi centered on a tax bill over the sale of shares in YouGov – the polling company he founded worth an estimated £27m – which was owned by Balshore Investments, a Gibraltar-registered offshore company linked to Mr Al-Zahawi’s family.

Al-Zahawi had insisted he was “confident” that he had “behaved correctly the whole time”.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper has called on Mr Sunak to withdraw the Conservative whip from Zahawi “if he refuses to step down as an MP” because he is “simply unfit to represent his constituents”.

Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcast

In a letter to Mr Sunak after his dismissal – in which he offered no apology for his actions – Mr Zahawi told the prime minister that he could “make sure of my support from the back benches in the years to come”.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Health Secretary Helen Whatley said she believed the prime minister followed a “fair” process when he decided to sack the former Tory chief.

[ad_2]