Rishi Sunak has justified his dismissal of Nadhim Zahawi, claiming he followed “the proper procedure.”
Mr. Zahawi violated the ministerial code seven times without disclosing that HMRC was examining his tax affairs, according to an investigation conducted by the PM’s ethics adviser.
Mr. Sunak stated that he “moved fairly decisively” upon completion of the investigation, dismissing Mr. Zahawi on Sunday.
Labour asserted that the prime minister ought to have fired Mr. Zahawi “long ago.”
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader, described Mr. Sunak as a “hopelessly weak” prime minister who “had to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing what he should have done a long time ago.”
She stated, “Rishi Sunak should not have needed an ethics consultant to inform him that Nadhim Zahawi’s stance was untenable.”
Ms. Rayner and the head of the Labour Party, Anneliese Dodds, have written to the prime minister requesting that he “come clean” about when he was informed of the HMRC investigation into Mr. Zahawi.
In County Durham, however, the prime minister defended his handling of the incident and emphasized his dedication to “integrity.”
“What I have done is adhere to the correct procedure,” he explained.
“As soon as I was made aware of the problem, I designated an impartial party to examine it, solicit counsel, and take swift action to move forward”.
The events that occurred before I became prime minister are beyond my control. What I believe you can hold me accountable for is how I handle issues that come under my watch.”
Mr. Sunak also vowed that he will “take whatever measures are necessary to restore political integrity.”
As chancellor, Mr. Zahawi paid $5 million, including a penalty.
He has argued in the past that he acted appropriately and that his tax blunder was “careless and not intentional.”
The independent ethics adviser to the prime minister, Sir Laurie Magnus, determined that his “omissions” of information constituted a “severe failure to fulfill the ministerial code’s standards.”
In addition, Sir Laurie criticized the MP for referring to news stories regarding his tax troubles as “smears” in July 2022 and neglecting to correct the record until this month.
“I believe this delay in rectifying a false public statement violates the requirement for transparency,” he stated.
Sunak asserts that he handled the situation firmly
After reviewing the findings, Mr. Sunak informed Mr. Zahawi of his intention to fire him on Sunday.
Mr. Zahawi congratulated the prime minister and stated that he was proud of his involvement in the vaccination rollout and the Queen’s burial, but he did not apologize or bring up his tax issues.
In the future years, he pledged to support the prime minister from the opposition benches.
Mr. Zahawi’s supporters say he only met with Sir Laurie Magnus once, raising ethical problems.
Mr. Zahawi’s supporters say he only met with Sir Laurie Magnus once, raising ethical problems.
