UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should suspend Nadhim Zahawi while his tax affairs are being investigated, a former Conservative Party chairman has said.
Amid growing fears in the party that the saga has become a major distraction from the government’s agenda, Jake Berry called on the Prime Minister to crack the whip.
Mr Berry said he approves of Mr Sunak’s decision to launch an independent investigation into whether Mr Zahawi breached the ministerial code and to make a decision on his position when the findings have been published.
But he urged him to go a step further.
“The additional step he should take, in my view, is do what all other employers would do … and suspend that individual, or that individual step aside, while the investigation takes place,” Mr Berry told BBC’s Question Time programme on Thursday.
Mr Zahawi should be allowed to return to his position as Conservative Party chairman and Minster without Portfolio in the cabinet only if it is proved he did not break any rules, Mr Berry said.
During a brief stint as chancellor of the exchequer last summer, Mr Zahawi paid a penalty to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to settle a tax dispute. It is estimated the amount he handed over was up to £5 million ($6.19 million).
After the inquiry was announced, Mr Zahawi welcomed a chance to give his account, saying he was confident he had “acted properly throughout”.
Nadhim Zahawi - in pictures
As Mr Zahawi’s fate hangs in the balance, a source close to the MP on Thursday said he had given HMRC permission to speak to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent adviser who is conducting the investigation.
Mr Zahawi, who arrived in the UK as an 11-year-old fleeing the regime of Saddam Hussein, was the first Iraqi-born politician to be appointed to serve in a British government.
Mr Zahawi is known as being one of Britain's the richest MPs, but he was forced to apologise in 2013 for claiming parliamentary expenses for electricity for his stables and a mobile home.
After reports emerged that he had paid a fine to HMRC, he claimed he had merely been careless with his tax affairs.
But Jim Harra, the head of HMRC, said that while he could not comment on individual cases there were “no penalties for innocent errors in your tax affairs”.
He was speaking to cabinet members during an away day at Chequers, the 16th-century manor in Buckinghamshire that serves as the grace-and-favour country residence of the prime minister.
Mr Sunak is continuing to resist calls to suspend Mr Zahawi while the inquiry is taking place.
Asked why Mr Harra’s comments were not evidence enough to sack Mr Zahawi, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “I’m not going to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation, it’s important that the independent adviser is able to do his work.
“That’s what he’s currently doing, that’s what I’ve asked him to do and I’ll await the findings of that investigation.”
A week ago, Mr Sunak told Prime Minister’s Questions that Mr Zahawi had addressed the fiasco “in full”.
He later ordered the investigation after “additional facts” came to light.
David Gauke, a former Tory cabinet minister, said while Mr Zahwi is a "very popular figure" among Conservative MPs, "it is hard to see how this doesn’t ultimately end in his resignation".
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
More on Quran memorisation:
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
SPEC%20SHEET
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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