An ethics probe into Rishi Sunak’s financial affairs will be like the Sue Gray investigation ‘without the rigour’, Labour says.
The embattled multimillionaire chancellor is facing questions over his family’s tax arrangements, and Boris Johnson has told his ethics adviser Lord Geidt to conduct an inquiry.
Mr Sunak wrote to the PM seeking an investigation just days after The Independent revealed his wife’s “non-dom“ tax status.
There has been mounting pressure over the chancellor’s tax affairs. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner claims Rishi Sunak has made a “catalogue of potential breaches of the ministerial code”.
She pointed out that the matter has been referred back to Lord Geidt, who confirmed last week he was “completely satisfied” with the steps the chancellor has taken to meet the requirements of the code.
Ms Rayner said: “All this has shades of the Sue Gray report but without the rigour. Will we ever see Lord Geidt’s report at all?”
In a statement on Twitter, Mr Sunak said: “I have always followed the rules and I hope such a review will provide further clarity.”
What is non-dom status?
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Rayner says Sunak investigation will be seen as ‘attempted whitewash’
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner says Rishi Sunak’s referral to the government’s ethics adviser will be seen as “yet another attempted whitewash”.
The chancellor is facing questions about his family’s financial affairs.
The independent adviser on ministers’ interests was initially “completely satisfied” with the steps the chancellor has taken to meet the requirements of the ministerial code.
Mr Sunak has now been referred back.
“The public will see this as yet another attempted whitewash. They’re being taken for fools by this prime minister yet again,” Ms Rayner tweeted.
“What little ethical credibility and integrity there was left in Boris Johnson’s Downing Street [is] hanging by a thread.”
Mr Sunak insists he has “always followed the rules” and said he hopes the review “will provide further clarity.”
Starmer calls for answers on Sunak tax affairs
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the issues around the Chancellor’s family tax affairs were a “matter of real fairness”.
He said: “What we can’t have is a Chancellor who is telling millions of people that they have to pay more tax, there is no alternative, whilst at the same his own family appear to have been using a scheme to keep their own tax down.”
“I don’t have any non-doms in the shadow cabinet because I understand the fairness of the issue,” he added.
He called for the prime minister to provide an assurance over whether “other members of the Cabinet have been using these schemes to reduce their tax”.
“I think on behalf of everybody who is now paying more tax we are entitled to an answer to that question,” he said.
Starmer: ‘Chancellor’s hypocrisy is difficult to swallow’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has questioned Boris Johnson’s judgement as Rishi Sunak faces pressure over his finances, saying: “to appoint one chancellor with suspect tax affairs is sloppy, to appoint two is a habit”.
He added: “While he insists on making working people pay more taxes, the prime minister owes it to the public to confirm his Cabinet are not finding ways to pay less.
“The scale of the chancellor’s hypocrisy is difficult to swallow against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis. We now know that the health secretary – the former chancellor – also knows his way around a tax-reduction scheme.
“To appoint one chancellor with suspect tax affairs is sloppy, to appoint two is a habit. It really is one rule for them, and another for everyone else.
“For every day this chaos continues, energy bills are going up, prices are going up, and this government isn’t doing anything to help people paralysed by the cost of living crisis.
“Boris Johnson needs to bring this saga to a close and confirm that no other sitting Conservative minister is doing or has done anything to reduce their own personal tax bill, while they preside over the biggest tax hike in 70 years.”
Johnson has full confidence in Sunak as probe into Chancellor’s finances begins
Boris Johnson continues to support Rishi Sunak, Downing Street said, as an investigation into the Chancellor’s ministerial interests begins.
The Prime Minister agreed to a request from the Chancellor to launch the investigation, which comes after intense pressure on Mr Sunak over his family’s financial interests.
Asked if Mr Johnson continues to have full confidence in the Chancellor, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “He does.”
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Boris Johnson heads to country retreat for ‘a bit of a break’
Boris Johnson is at Chequers this week for “a bit of a break”, Downing Street said.
A No 10 spokeswoman said the prime minister intends to “get some rest and spend some time with family” for a few days at his country manor house.
He will continue to receive updates, particularly on Ukraine, and will be participating in meetings, she said.
Food banks ‘deeply concerned about scale of suffering’ across UK
Food bank organisers are “deeply concerned about the scale of suffering” across the UK, warning they are finding it difficult to keep up with “relentless” demand.
Many are reaching breaking point as families struggle through the cost-of-living crisis, according to the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN).
The group of more than 550 independent food banks has called on the Prime Minister and Chancellor to act urgently to combat “rapidly rising levels of poverty, destitution and hunger”.
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