Rishi Sunak has fired Nadeem Zahawi, chairman of the Conservative Party, over a “serious breach” of the UK government’s ethics rules relating to his tax affairs.
Zahavi – who briefly served as Britain’s top finance minister under Boris Johnson – has been in the spotlight for weeks over an investigation into his taxes by HM Revenue and Customs.
In a letter to Zahawi published Sunday morning, Sunak said he had vowed to have “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” of his administration, and an investigation by the government’s ethics watchdog, Laurie Magnus, into “ministerial serious violations”. code.
“As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in Her Majesty’s government,” Sunak said.
This developing story is being updated.