Rishi Sunak is under investigation by the parliament’s sleaze watchdog amid allegations he failed to declare the shares his wife holds in a childcare agency that was boosted by the Budget.
The investigation relates to the shares his wife Akshata Murthy holds in Koru Kids, a child-care agency.
The prime minister last month faced demands to “come clean” about his family shares last month when questioned by MPs over why the childcare policy favoured private firms.
Appearing before the Liaison Committee, he did not mention Ms Murthy’s shares in the firm, in which she has been listed as a shareholder on Companies House.
A fortnight earlier, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession.
A fortnight earlier, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession.
A No 10 spokesperson responded: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”
Labour raises question in Commons over government’s childminder proposals amid Sunak investigation
Labour has raised questions in the Commons over the government’s childminder proposals in light of Rishi Sunak’s wife holding shares in a childcare agency.
Shadow education minister Helen Hayes said: “In the Spring Budget the Chancellor announced new incentives for people registering as childminders and a double incentive to register with childminding agencies.
“Will the minister set out why she considered it necessary to incentivise childminders to sign-up with agencies and what conversations she and the Secretary of State (Gillian Keegan) had with the Prime Minister and the agency in which his wife is a shareholder prior to the Budget?”
Education minister Claire Coutinho replied: “It’s a very simple reason, it’s because we subsidise Ofsted for the registration costs – so it costs them about £35, whereas a childminder agency to register a childminder costs them, it can be, £500-plus.
“So the discrepancy is just simply to balance that out and to balance out the fact that they have different costs.
“I know the Number 10 team are collaborating with the commissioner to establish facts and show that everything has been transparent and declared.”
Why is Rishi Sunak being investigated by standards watchdog?
Rishi Sunak is under investigation after facing allegations of a possible failure to declare the shares his wife holds in a childcare agency that was boosted by the recent Budget.
The inquiry opened by parliament’s standards watchdog relates to the shares Akshata Murty holds in Koru Kids, a No 10 source confirmed.
So why is Mr Sunak being probed on the link to the childcare agency? The Independent took a closer look at the growing row, and the transparency rules for ministers.
Rishi Sunak faces probe over budget ‘benefit’ to wife’s childcare agency
From seatbelts to green cards: SIX times Rishi Sunak has been personally investigated
Rishi Sunak began his premiership with a promise to bring “integrity and accountability” back to the heart of government.
But the prime minister and former chancellor has himself been at the centre of a string of investigations since breaking into the political mainstream.
One of the most damaging questions facing Mr Sunak has been around his family’s vast fortune. But he was also caught up in the Partygate scandal which contributed to the downfall of his predecessor Boris Johnson, resulting in him receiving a fixed penalty notice.
As Parliament’s ethics watchdog launched a fresh inquiry into the PM over a possible failure to declare his wife’s shares in a childcare agency, The Independent looks at six times Mr Sunak has been under scrutiny while serving in government.
More reaction to Sunak facing parliament watchdog investigation
Best of Britain, a better democracy group that campaigns for closer ties with the EU, has responded to Rishi Sunak being under investigation by the parliament’s sleaze watchdog.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain said:“This investigation is standard operating procedure for a government with a strong track record of cronyism and an extensive roster of MPs on the make.
“Even if this was within the rules, Rishi Sunak must understand how the optics of a Prime Minister accused of profiteering can undermine faith in politics and our international reputation.”
Publish your interests before local elections, Labour tells Sunak
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Sunak of dodging “proper scrutiny” – and challenged No 10 to produce the new list of ministers’ interests before the local elections in two weeks.
She said: “This government’s failure to update the rules or publish a register of ministers’ interests in nearly a year has left a transparency black hole which is enabling the prime minister and those he has appointed to dodge proper scrutiny of their affairs”.
Accusing Mr Sunak of “preserving the rotten standards regime”, Ms Rayner added: “If Rishi Sunak has got nothing to hide, he should commit to publishing the register before May’s elections so the public can see for themselves.”
‘What’s Rishi Sunak got to hide?’, says Labour’s Rayner
Labour’s Angela Rayner has criticised the amount of time is has taken to update the list of ministers’ interests and questioned what the prime minister has “got to hide”.
In a tweet she said: “The Ministerial Code requires all Ministers to disclose their financial interests in detail – the Prime Minister is obliged to publish the register of interests.
“It’s now been 321 days since the register was updated. What’s Rishi Sunak got to hide?”
Labour MP mocks Sunak’s pledge for ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ amid investigation
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has mocked Rishi Sunak’s pledge to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.
In a quote tweet above news that Mr Sunak is facing an investigation from the parliament’s sleaze watchdog, she writes “integrity, professionalism and accountability”, followed by a sarcastic upside down face emoji.
When Mr Sunak was voted in as prime minister by Tory members he promised to bring “integrity, professionalism and accountability” back to the government after a series of scandals and chaos under previous incumbents Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.
I declared my interest to Cabinet Office, says Sunak
It has emerged that Rishi Sunak wrote to MPs on the liaison committee on 4 April to say he had declared his wife’s shareholding in the childcare agency to the Cabinet Office.
“I would like to clarify for the parliamentary record that this interest has been right declared to the Cabinet Office.
The latest list of ministerial interests will be published shortly by the Independent Adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.”
Downing Street has clarified that the interest was declared to the Cabinet Office before his liaison committee hearing appearance on 28 March, a No 10 spokesperson would not say exactly when it was declared.
And despite Mr Sunak pointing to the new list of ministerial interests coming “shortly”, No 10 would not say if the interest related to his wife’s shareholding in the childcare agency would be on the list.
More ‘sleaze and scandal’, say Lib Dems
Lib Dem Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain: “Another day and another accusation of a Conservative prime ministers bending the rules.”
She said: “This is on the same day that Rishi Sunak may have broken election rules for his government announcement today.
“After months of Conservative sleaze and scandal, the public just want a government who are focused on the country, rather than saving their own skin.”
