British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told his independent ethics adviser Lord Christopher Geidt to conduct an inquiry into finance minister Rishi Sunak amid row around his family's tax affairs. Sunak said on Sunday he had written to the prime minister asking him to refer his ministerial declarations to the adviser.
In his letter to Johnson, Sunak, stated that he wants to work with Lord Geidt's office and provide all relevant information required in light of recent speculation surrounding his declarations, which are required of all ministers. "To that end I would recommend that Lord Geidt makes all his conclusions public. 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 of propriety and disclosure and will continue to do so," he said.
Sunak had been fighting back attacks from the Opposition over wife Akshata Murty's tax arrangements in India. Last week, Sunak defended the non-domicile status of his wife, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, which meant she was not legally bound to pay tax on her Indian income in the UK. Akshata announced that she would be paying all her taxes in the UK to avoid the issue becoming a "distraction" for her husband's political career.
-with PTI inputs
