By Chris Dorrell
Nadhim Zawahi has today been sacked by prime minister Rishi Sunak as Conservative party chair after weeks of speculation about his tax affairs.
Sunak told Zahawi, 55, that, after an independent investigation, “it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code,” forcing him to ditch the MP for Stratford-on-Avon.
Sunak’s letter said he wanted his government to “have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” a promise he made when entering Number 10 late last year.
Zahawi should be “extremely proud” of his “wide-ranging achievements’”, Sunak wrote, in particular his oversight of the vaccine procurement programme.
Zahawi has been in the spotlight for weeks over an estimated £4.8m bill he settled with the taxman while chancellor. The bill related to the sale of shares in YouGov, the polling business founded by Zahawi in 2000.
The probe into the former chancellor’s tax affairs was carried out by Sir Laurie Magnus, the government’s ethics adviser.
More to follow.
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