Sunak faces Starmer at PMQs as Tories warn Zahawi must go now

The prime minister, who has instructed his ethics adviser to investigate whether Zahawi has breached ministerial rules, is also under pressure to act after admitting there are “questions that need answering”.

Who summoned Mr. Zahawi to stop? Our political correspondent Adam Forest reports:

The Prime Minister’s questions will begin shortly, with Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer going head to head in the Commons chamber.

Starmer is likely to address the prime minister on Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs – a story that has dominated the political agenda in recent days.

At this moment, MPs are pouring into the chamber. We will bring you updates during the session. You can also follow the exchanges live on our YouTube channel:

Some Tory MPs want Zahawi to step down, although others have urged him to release more tax details in an effort to resolve the matter. TBEN takes a closer look at the big unanswered questions.

Our political correspondent Adam Forest reports:

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has welcomed moves by “NATO allies and friends” to send main battle tanks to Ukraine.

His comments came after Germany confirmed it would send Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev.

“The right decision by NATO allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. In addition to the Challenger 2s, they will enhance Ukraine’s defensive firepower,” Sunak said.

“Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace.”

Former Tory minister David Gauke told TBEN Radio 4’s Today program it was “difficult to understand how this doesn’t ultimately end in [Mr Zahawi’s] dismissal”, Adam Forest, our political correspondent.

He said it would be a “very inconvenient” PMQ for Mr Sunak if he was still on duty at 12:00 am.

It is widely expected that Labor leader Keir Starmer will use at least some of his questions during PMQs to address Sunak on the matter.

Influential Tory colleague Lord Hayward said Mr Zahawi “should consider standing aside for the period of the inquiry” – and warned the saga could help to “flatline” Tory popularity ahead of local elections , reports Adam Forrest, our political correspondent.

Lord Hayward, a Tory polling expert, told Sky News: “I think there’s a problem when you’re party chairman because you’re supposed to be motivating the campaigners as they prepare for important local elections.”

Rishi Sunak was unaware of Nadhim Zahawi’s tax dispute when he appointed him to the cabinet because Whitehall officials were not aware of it, it is alleged.

Mr Zahawi, the cabinet minister without portfolio, was approved by Whitehall officials for the role of Tory chairman under Mr Sunak after he became prime minister.

But according to The times, neither he nor Liz Truss – his predecessor – were informed of Mr Zahawi’s dispute with HMRC.

Mr Zahawi served as Liz Truss’s minister for equality during Mrs Truss’s brief stint at No. 10 Downing Street. He briefly served as chancellor in the final days of Boris Johnson’s government.

A government source suggested so The times that Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, should have informed both Mr Sunak and Ms Truss of the possible liability of keeping Zahawi in the cabinet.

But another said: “They didn’t know about the fine because HMRC didn’t tell them.”

The first two PMQ sessions of 2023 have largely followed the same pattern: Starmer attacks Sunak on public sector strikes and the NHS state and Prime Minister hit back by claiming that the Labor leader is opposed to the government’s anti-strike legislation. government is because he is in the pocket of the unions.

Many of those disputes remain unresolved and with more strikes planned in the coming weeks, there is a good chance that Sunak could again be targeted for union action by Starmer when the pair later appear before round three MPs in the House of Commons.

But today’s exchanges in the chamber will almost certainly take on a different feel after the Labor leader is given additional ammunition in the form of a scandal over the tax affairs of Tory Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi showing absolutely no signs of extinction Wednesday. morning.

Just a week ago, the Prime Minister defended Zahawi in the House of Commons. But as pressure mounts on Mr Sunak, Downing Street declined, saying he was confident Mr Zahawi had always been honest about his finances.

Kate Devlin, Political Editor and Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent, report:

Nearly two in three Britons want Conservative chairman Nadhim Zahawi to explain how much it cost to settle his tax dispute with HMRC, a poll for TBEN has found.

About 64 percent of people — including 61 percent of Tory voters — think Zahawi should reveal exactly how much he’s handed over, according to the Savanta ComRes poll.

Our political correspondent Adam Forest reports: