Zahawi sacked as Tory party chairman

Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked as Conservative Party chairman by Rishi Sunak.

It's after an ethics inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs found a "serious breach" of the Ministerial Code.

The Prime Minister previously ordered an investigation into Mr Zahawi by Sir Laurie Magnus, his independent adviser on ministers' interests, following reports that the Tory chairman had paid a penalty as part of an estimated £4.8 million settlement dispute with HMRC.

In a letter to Zahawi, Mr Sunak said that, following the investigation, which completed its work after only a few days, "it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code".

"As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty's Government."

He paid tribute to Mr Zahawi's contribution to the Government, including his role as vaccines minister during the pandemic.

"As you leave, you should be extremely proud of your wide-ranging achievements in Government over the last five years.

"In particular, your successful oversight of the Covid-19 vaccine procurement and deployment programme which ensured the United Kingdom was at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic."

The row surrounding Mr Zahawi had centred on a tax bill over the sale of shares in YouGov - the polling firm he founded.

They were worth an estimated £27 million and which were held by an offshore company registered abroad, and linked to Mr Zahawi's family.

Mr Zahawi had said that HMRC concluded there had been a "careless and not deliberate" error in the way the founders' shares, which he had allocated to his father, had been treated.

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