Good morning. After 10 embarrassing days for the government, Rishi Sunak finally fired the Tory party chair, Nadhim Zahawi, after a damning investigation by the prime minister’s ethics adviser found Zahawi had committed multiple breaches of the ministerial code by first failing to declare that he was under investigation by HMRC and then that he had paid a penalty. Sunak’s detractors have accused the prime minister of weakness for not acting sooner, but he has insisted that he had to go through the proper procedures before making any decision.
While Zahawi’s dismissal marks the end of this particular episode of Tory party mess, the news comes as Sunak battles to maintain control of his party, with his deputy also under investigation after multiple allegations of bullying staff. The firing has also further damaged the reputation of a government already marred by accusations of sleaze. Today’s newsletter looks at what has been said so far and what is next for the embattled prime minister.
