Nadhim Zahawi’s job hangs by a thread as Rishi Sunak orders inquiry

Rishi Sunak has ordered a probe into embattled Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs, stating that “clearly in this case there are questions that need answering”.

The Prime Minister asked his independent adviser on ministerial interests to look into Mr Zahawi’s tax settlement with HM Revenue and Customs as he appeared to be “hanging

on by a thread” in his Cabinet post. The furore centres around an agreement that Mr Zahawi reached with the taxman over the sale of shares in the polling company YouGov,

which he co-founded. The BBC reported that Mr Zahawi did pay a penalty as part of the deal, reported by the Guardian to be around 30 per cent, taking the total estimated

settlement to around £4.8 million, though the figures have not been confirmed. Mr Zahawi claimed that his “error” over the YouGov shares was “careless and not deliberate”.

But his future as party chairman was cast into doubt by Mr Sunak’s move. On a visit to Northampton hospital, the Prime Minister said: “Integrity and accountability is really

important to me and clearly in this case there are questions that need answering. “That’s why I’ve asked our independent adviser to get to the bottom of everything, to

investigate the matter fully and establish all the facts and provide advice to me on Nadhim Zahawi’s compliance with the ministerial code. “I’m pleased that Nadhim Zahawi

has agreed with that approach and has agreed to fully co-operate with that investigation.”