British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on January 18, 2023 in the House of Commons in London. JESSICA TAYLOR / AFP
The British Conservative Party smells of scandal. On Friday 20 January, Lancashire Police (North West England) somewhat incongruously boasted (on Twitter) that they had fined Rishi Sunak for not wearing a seat belt. The day before, Downing Street had posted a video of the Tory prime minister traveling around the north of the country promoting his politics in the back seat of his company car with no apparent belt. Mr. Sunak admitted an “error of discretion”.
The criticism would have fizzled had it not been for the leader’s second fine in less than a year, who vowed on his arrival at Downing Street in October 2022 that he would lead with “professionalism, integrity and responsibility”. Greater London Police sanctioned him in spring 2022 for briefly attending a Downing Street party while in custody. It was the birthday of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had also been sanctioned by Scotland Yard.
There is much more worrying: Nadhim Zahawi, Minister without Portfolio in the Sunak government and President of the Conservative Party, was forced to admit on Sunday January 22 that he has run into troubles with the tax authorities over the past year. According to the BBC, he has been fined up to £5million (€5.7million) for not correctly reporting his income after selling his stake in polling firm YouGov, which he co-founded. However, it appears that this huge penalty was negotiated in the summer of 2022 when Mr Zahawi was Chancellor of the Exchequer, i.e. Minister of Finance…
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The minister did not deny this conflict of interest, assuring that his tax dispute was not “intentional” but linked to “negligence”. He refused to resign. How long it will take? On Monday, January 23, Rishi Sunak called for an internal investigation. Mr Zahawi’s position “is untenable, Labor Vice-President Judge Angela Rayner. The longer Mr. Sunak hesitates to sanction Mr. Zahawi, the weaker the prime minister will appear. »
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“It’s all a bit like a banana republic”
Mr. Zahawi is the fourth member of the Sunak cabinet to be in turmoil. Before him, Gavin Williamson had to give up his apron a fortnight after he was appointed Minister without portfolio after being accused of harassment. Justice Minister Dominic Raab is also the subject of an internal investigation into harassment, but is sticking to his post. So has Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is accused of handling confidential information without precautions.
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