Breaking news: British Chancellor Sunak cleared over wife’s tax affairs

British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been cleared by PM’s standards adviser.

On Wednesday 27, April, British Chancellor, Rishi Sunak , has been cleared of the alleged breach of ministerial code by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s standards adviser, after investigating the tax affairs of Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, as reported by the Independent.

Lord Geidt, the Ministerial Interests Adviser, ruled in favour of Sunak in regards to reported conflicts of interests due to his holding of a US Green card in the past. Although he did find two instances were Sunak’s wife’s tax status “could have given rise to a conflict of interest.” However, the first was properly declared and the second was of no real effect to his wife.

In advice to the Prime Minister, Lord Geidt wrote: “I advise that the requirements of the ministerial code have been adhered to by the Chancellor, and that he has been assiduous in meeting his obligations and in engaging with this investigation. In reaching these judgments, I am confined to the question of conflicts of interest and the requirements of the ministerial code. My role does not touch on any wider question of the merits of such interests or arrangements.”

The adviser stated that he does not believe that Rishi Sunak having held a US green card in the past “would constitute an inherent conflict of interest”.

Lord Geidt stated that he tasked the Treasury to seek the existence of any policy that would have had an effect on green card holders and Mr Sunak’s department responded with “no such evidence”.

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