Starmer brands PM ‘hopelessly weak’ for failure to sack Zahawi over tax affairs
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under fresh pressure in Parliament after resisting to fire Nadhim Zahawi.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the PM ‘hopelessly weak’ after failing to fire the Chairman of the Conservative Party.
He also suggested that the job of Prime Minister was ‘too big’ for Mr Sunak.
The PM was pushed on Mr Zahawi’s multi-million pound settlement at Prime Minister’s Questions today.
Mr Starmer told MPS: ‘We all know why the Prime Minister was reluctant to ask his party chair questions about family finances and tax avoidance.
‘But his failure to sack him when the whole country can see what’s going on shows how hopelessly weak he is – a prime minister overseeing chaos, overwhelmed at every turn.
‘He can’t say when ambulances will get to heart attack victims again. He can’t say when the prisons system will keep streets safe again. He can’t even deal with tax avoiders in his own Cabinet.
‘Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?’
To which Mr Sunak replied: ‘The difference between him (Starmer) and me is I stand by my values and principles even when it’s difficult.’
Mr Sunak acknowledged that he had not been given the full picture about the Tory chairman’s financial matters when he told MPs last week that Mr Zahawi had given a ‘full’ account.
But he insisted that when he entered No 10 and gave Mr Zahawi the job of Minister Without Portfolio ‘no issues were raised with me’.
The PM added: ‘Since I commented on this matter last week, more information, including a statement by the Minister has entered the public domain.
‘Which is why it is important to establish the facts.
‘Of course, the politically expedient thing to do would be for me to have said that this matter must be resolved by Wednesday at noon.
‘But I believe in proper due process, that’s why I appointed an independent advisor and that’s why he’s doing his job.’
The Prime Minister ordered his ethics adviser to investigate whether Mr Zahawi broke ministerial rules over the estimated £4.8 million bill he settled with HMRC while chancellor.
Mr Sunak admitted there are ‘questions that need answering’ as the inquiry was launched but it was unclear what he knew when appointing Mr Zahawi to the Cabinet-attending role.
Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Lord Evans criticised the legal threats Mr Zahawi made as he tried to prevent stories about his tax affairs emerging.
As they worked to uncover the situation, The Independent website said he personally threatened ‘legal action’ and tax lawyer Dan Neidle was contacted by ‘expensive’ libel lawyers.
Lord Evans suggested ‘trying to close down a legitimate public debate’ would not live up to the Nolan principles on public life that must be upheld under the ministerial code.
‘Accountability, openness are things which the Government says that it wants to be characterising its own behaviour, so that I think speaks for itself,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.
‘The sort of attempts, apparent legal attempts to suppress this story, I don’t think that does live up to the sort of standards that the public would rightly expect.’
Senior Conservative MP Caroline Nokes has called on him to ‘stand aside until this matter is all cleared up’ but Mr Sunak has so far stood by Mr Zahawi.
The Prime Minister argued it is ‘longstanding practice’ for ministers to remain in their roles while under investigation.
Just last Wednesday, Mr Sunak told PMQs that Mr Zahawi had ‘already addressed this matter in full’.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary said Mr Sunak ‘takes Nadhim Zahawi at his word’.
But Mr Sunak bowed to pressure to order the investigation by ministerial interests adviser Sir Laurie Magnus after the Guardian revealed Mr Zahawi paid a penalty as part of the dispute.
Downing Street subsequently suggested Mr Sunak did not know last week that Mr Zahawi had paid the reportedly 30% penalty to HMRC.
And the Prime Minister said that the advice he received ahead of appointing Mr Zahawi party chair in October was that there was ‘no reason’ not to.
Mr Zahawi, the MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, has insisted his ‘error’ over shares in the YouGov polling company he co-founded was ‘careless and not deliberate’.
He has insisted he is ‘confident’ he has ‘acted properly throughout’.
Labour has argued Mr Sunak should sack the chairman before the investigation’s conclusion, describing it as a ‘pathetic attempt to pass the buck’.
Mr Zahawi was appointed chancellor by Boris Johnson, whose time in No 10 was continuing to create challenges for Mr Sunak.
Fresh allegations of cronyism in the Tory party have been levelled after it emerged BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped secure Mr Johnson a loan of up to £800,000 before the then-PM backed his appointment to the broadcaster.
Since the last PMQs, Mr Sunak has also received a second police fine, this time for failing to wear a seatbelt after he broke coronavirus rules during the partygate scandal.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.