Rishi Sunak has told his ethics adviser to investigate suggestions that Nadhim Zahawi was forced to pay a fine and millions of pounds in unpaid taxes to HMRC, as the prime minister acknowledged there were “questions that need answering”.
In a move that will place Zahawi, the Conservative party chair, under further intense scrutiny but allows the government to deflect immediate calls for him to be sacked, Sunak reiterated the importance of “integrity and accountability”.
