The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the Prime Minister to “show some leadership” and “sack” Nadhim Zahawi “today” amid his tax affairs.
Over the weekend Zahawi confirmed he paid a late penalty over unpaid tax to HMRC when he was the Chancellor.
A tax expert spoke out on Monday and disputed Zahawi’s evidence as “not true” and told Sky News, that a filing disclosure shows Zahawi “received £99,000 from Balshore Investments,” which is a company based in Gibraltar.
Neidle said, “That’s not my supposition or a guess, it’s absolute fact.
“And yet he denied that to you.
“I said to his lawyers – why is he saying this to Kay Burley when the evidence says it’s not true?
“And they wouldn’t reply.”
Dan Neidle, a lawyer and founder of Tax Policy Associates, has spent months investigating Zahawi and in the interests of full disclosure.
Neidle added, “I think he would have received about £27 million and not paid tax on it until eventually he was forced to because it was being reported.
“Didn’t admit it, denied it, threatened to sue people and went to HMRC to quietly settle it.”
Speaking on a visit to Octopus Energy, the Labour leader said it is “obvious” that Zahawi cannot continue as the Conservative Party chair anymore.
Sir Keir said, “The very idea that he can be discussing and negotiating his own tax affairs with the body that he’s supposed to be running – everybody knows it’s wrong.
“He clearly isn’t going to resign, and so the prime minister needs to show some leadership. This is a test of the prime minister.
“He promised us, his first words, integrity and accountability.
“Well, if those words mean anything, the prime minister should sack him and sack him today and show some leadership.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that Zahawi’s position in the Conservative Party is now “untenable.”
Sturgeon said on Monday, “I think he should resign his current position as chair of the Conservative Party.
“It seems to be the case… that while he was Chancellor, he settled a seven-figure tax bill with HMRC which included a very significant penalty.
“That means, as far as I can see, that there must have been something untoward about his tax affairs to a very large tune, in terms of the amount of money involved.
“I think somebody who is a government minister in that position, I just think their position is untenable.
“I would think he should resign his post, and if he doesn’t do so – rather than kicking it into the long grass and instructing an inquiry as the Prime Minister has done this morning – I think the Prime Minister should remove him from office.”
