The Independent’s “crucial” investigation into Nadhim Zahawi has been praised after the former chancellor announced he will stand down at the next election.
Mr Zahawi said his mistakes “have been mine” as on Thursday he joined the long list of Tories set to leave parliament.
His withdrawal from politics comes a year after he was sacked by Rishi Sunak after an ethics probe found serious breaches of the ministerial code over his tax affairs.
The investigation was sparked byThe Independent’s revelation of an HMRC investigation into the MP over his tax affairs. Mr Zahawi tried to stop this publication exposing the investigation by threatening to sue if we published.
At the time, the then chancellor repeatedly said he had paid all due taxes and would “one hundred per cent take legal action” if we reported that he had been investigated.
However, The Independent ignored his threats and published two reports, detailing how Mr Zahawi had faced inquiries from the Serious Fraud Office, the National Crime Agency and HMRC.
Mr Zahawi did not sue and reportedly paid a penalty of more than £1m to HMRC in a settlement thought to be worth almost £5m in total.
In the end, the PM’s adviser Sir Laurie Magnus found he had broken ministerial rules seven times by failing to be open and honest during the tax saga – including by making “untrue” public statements.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said: “The Independent led the charge in exposing Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs, despite his attempts to silence them with threats of legal action.
“This was a crucial investigation in the public interest, and one that ultimately helped end Zahawi’s political career.”
Earlier this week, the Stratford-on-Avon MP became the 64th Conservative to announce they are standing down at the election.
He was facing a re-election battle, with polls suggesting he was on course to lose the seat, which has elected only Conservatives since 1950.
In his resignation letter, he said: “My mistakes have been mine, and my successes have come from working with, and leading, amazing people.”
He pledged the Conservative Party would “continue to have my unswerving support into and beyond the next general election”.
Referring to his role as the “MP for Shakespeare” he said: “As my most famous constituent once wrote: ‘Go to your bosom; knock there and ask your heart what it doth know’.
“I have come to feel that the time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon and assuming the mantle of MP for Shakespeare.”
Before his short stint as chancellor of the exchequer, he served in government as vaccines minister during the pandemic, and oversaw the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine programme, and education secretary. He was later made Tory party chairman, but was sacked from that role by Mr Sunak.
