Rishi Sunak refers to independent adviser over financial interest scandal
It comes as the row over his wife's tax payments continues
Last updated 29th May 2022
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has referred himself to an independent adviser regarding his financial interests as a minister.
Following a recent number of discoveries over his wife's 'non-domicile' status, which had exempted her from paying tax on money she earned outside of the UK, the Chancellor has been under growing pressure to dispel rumours regarding his wife's status.
On Friday (April 8th), Mr Sunak's wife Akshata Murty, issued a statement saying she would pay UK tax on all her worldwide income, but the criticism of the Chancellor has yet to be stemmed.
As a result of the case, the Chancellor has written a letter asking Lord Geidt, a financial adviser to the Prime Minister, to verify the legitimacy of his expenses since he became a minister in 2018.
In the letter, Mr Sunak was confident in his proper filing of items, but wanted to act in transparency to alleviate the "overriding concern" from the public.
He added: "My overriding concern is that the public retain confidence in the answers that are given and I believe the best way of achieving this is to ensure those answers are entirely independent, without bias or favour," he said.
"I am confident that such a review of my declarations will find all relevant information was appropriately declared.
"I have throughout my ministerial career followed the advice of officials regarding matters or propriety and disclosure and will continue to do so."
However, despite the request to formally audit the Chancellor's financial interests, Mr Sunak has also launched an investigation by the Treasury and the Cabinet Office into who had leaked Mrs Murty's tax status to the media.
Labour's response to the scandal
Labour has hit back at the Chancellor for the scandal, with deputy leader Angela Rayner also writing to the Prime Minister and Lord Geidt with a number of questions the party wants to know the answers to, including whether Mr Sunak had benefitted from tax havens.
"A fish rots from the head. It is the Prime Minister's responsibility to bring this debacle to a close by ensuring that standards are upheld across his Cabinet," she said.
"The chaos caused by the Conservatives over the last week must be brought to an end. When it comes to the Tories hiking up taxes on working people, it seems it is one rule for them and another for the rest of us."