Nadhim Zahawi’s future as Tory party chairman looked in increasing jeopardy on Thursday as Britain’s tax chief suggested the former chancellor would not have been given a penalty for making an “innocent” mistake in his declarations. Cabinet minister Mr Zahawi is insisting he has not done anything wrong, saying he made a “careless” not a “deliberate” mistake in his tax affairs.
The affair is now being investigated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus who is looking at whether the party chairman may have breached the ministerial code. The storm was threatening to overshadow Mr Sunak as he was holding his Cabinet at Chequers today in a bid to reboot his Government ahead of an expected general election next year.
