Why Nadhim Zahawi was sacked

Nadhim Zahawi has this morning been sacked as Conservative party chairman. The Prime Minister made the decision to remove Zahawi from his government after an investigation by the Prime Minister’s independent ethics adviser found he had breached the ministerial code over his tax affairs. On receiving the report earlier today, Sunak decided that Zahawi could not remain in post now ‘it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code’: ‘As a result,’ the PM wrote, ‘I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s Government’.

The row over Zahawi’s tax affairs has been going on for weeks, with Sunak even defending him earlier this month at Prime Minister’s Questions, suggesting the matter had been resolved. However, further reports – and Zahawi’s admission that his settlement with HMRC had included a penalty reported to be in the region of a million pounds – led to Sunak changing tack.