LondonBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday fired the chairman of his ruling Conservative Party over a “serious breach” of the ministerial code. Nadim Zahavi is under pressure amid allegations that he settled a multimillion-dollar unpaid tax bill while in charge of the country’s treasury.
In a letter to Zahawi, Sunak wrote that he was compelled to act after promising at the start of his term that his government would have “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.
Zahavi, the founder of the polling website YouGov, had acknowledged the dispute with the tax authorities, but argued that his error was “reckless and not intentional”.
Nadim Zahavi is dismissed by Rishi Sunak. Took him a long time.
Next Suella Braverman. pic.twitter.com/daJdfWEcdg— Dr. Shola Moss-Shogbamimu (@sholamoss1) January 29, 2023
British media reported that the settlement came to around £5 million ($6.2 million). Zahavi led the UK Treasury from July to September 2022 in the final months of Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister.