Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired Nadhim Zahawi, citing “serious” breaches of ethics rules after revelations about the Conservative Party chairman’s tax affairs made his position untenable. In a letter to Zahawi on Sunday, Sunak said that the independent review of the matter had been concluded and “it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code. As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position.”Zahawi, 55, had acknowledged that he’d been “careless” with his taxes and had settled a retroactive multimillion pound bill with the country’s tax collector. That — and the revelation that he’d also incurred a penalty for not settling the correct amount at the right time — led to mounting pressure from within his own party for him to quit, or for Sunak to fire him.

Source: The Times January 29, 2023 17:25 UTC