Chancellor Rishi Sunak refers ministerial interests to the PM’s independent adviser

Robert Dex @RobDexES11 April 2022

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he has written to Boris Johnson asking him to refer his ministerial declarations to the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Chancellor said: “I have always followed the rules and I hope such a review will provide further clarity.”

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Sunak said his “overriding concern” was to retain public confidence in the answers that were given.

The move followed accusations by Labour of a potential conflict of interests following the disclosures that his wife was “non-domiciled” for tax purposes and that he retained a US green card while Chancellor.

Akshata Murty, who is an Indian citizen, announced on Friday she would pay UK taxes on all her worldwide income as she did not want her financial arrangements to be a “distraction” for her husband.

Ms Murty, who is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, has non-domiciled status, which has exempted her from paying tax in the UK on foreign earnings.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats are now pressing for her to pay the back taxes she had saved through not having to pay UK taxes on her overseas income.

Her announcement came just hours after Mr Sunak admitted he had continued to hold a US green card – granting him permanent residency in the United States – for a period while he was Chancellor.

He initially obtained the permit while working in the US, and a spokeswoman said he continued to use it for travel purposes until he was advised he should give it up when he made his first official visit to the US as Chancellor.

While the spokeswoman said “all laws and rules” had been followed, the disclosures led some Tory MPs to question the political judgment of a man many believe harbours ambitions to enter No 10.

It comes at a time when Mr Sunak has faced intense criticism over his failure to do more to help families struggling with the soaring cost of living, while he has hiked taxes to their highest levels since the 1950s.

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