Rishi Sunak news – latest: Prime minister facing parliament watchdog investigation

Rishi Sunak has been put under investigation by parliament’s sleaze watchdog amid claims he failed to declare a conflict of interest.

The prime minister is facing questions after it emerged that a childcare agency part-owned by his wife Akshata Murty would benefit from policy changes in the budget.

The prime minister did not mention his wife’s interest when speaking about the childcare reforms at a parliamentary committee last month.

Jon Stone has the latest.

Lib Dem Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain: “Another day and another accusation of a Conservative prime ministers bending the rules.”

She said: “This is on the same day that Rishi Sunak may have broken election rules for his government announcement today.

“After months of Conservative sleaze and scandal, the public just want a government who are focused on the country, rather than saving their own skin.”

It has emerged that Rishi Sunak wrote to MPs on the liaison committee on 4 April to say he had declared his wife’s shareholding in the childcare agency to the Cabinet Office.

“I would like to clarify for the parliamentary record that this interest has been right declared to the Cabinet Office.

The latest list of ministerial interests will be published shortly by the Independent Adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.”

Downing Street has clarified that the interest was declared to the Cabinet Office before his liaison committee hearing appearance on 28 March, a No 10 spokesperson would not say exactly when it was declared.

And despite Mr Sunak pointing to the new list of ministerial interests coming “shortly”, No 10 would not say if the interest related to his wife’s shareholding in the childcare agency would be on the list.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has mocked Rishi Sunak’s pledge to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.

In a quote tweet above news that Mr Sunak is facing an investigation from the parliament’s sleaze watchdog, she writes “integrity, professionalism and accountability”, followed by a sarcastic upside down face emoji.

When Mr Sunak was voted in as prime minister by Tory members he promised to bring “integrity, professionalism and accountability” back to the government after a series of scandals and chaos under previous incumbents Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.

Labour’s Angela Rayner has criticised the amount of time is has taken to update the list of ministers’ interests and questioned what the prime minister has “got to hide”.

In a tweet she said: “The Ministerial Code requires all Ministers to disclose their financial interests in detail - the Prime Minister is obliged to publish the register of interests.

“It’s now been 321 days since the register was updated. What’s Rishi Sunak got to hide?”

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Sunak of dodging “proper scrutiny” – and challenged No 10 to produce the new list of ministers’ interests before the local elections in two weeks.

She said: “This government’s failure to update the rules or publish a register of ministers’ interests in nearly a year has left a transparency black hole which is enabling the prime minister and those he has appointed to dodge proper scrutiny of their affairs”.

Accusing Mr Sunak of “preserving the rotten standards regime”, Ms Rayner added: “If Rishi Sunak has got nothing to hide, he should commit to publishing the register before May’s elections so the public can see for themselves.”

Best of Britain, a better democracy group that campaigns for closer ties with the EU, has responded to Rishi Sunak being under investigation by the parliament’s sleaze watchdog.

Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain said:“This investigation is standard operating procedure for a government with a strong track record of cronyism and an extensive roster of MPs on the make.

“Even if this was within the rules, Rishi Sunak must understand how the optics of a Prime Minister accused of profiteering can undermine faith in politics and our international reputation.”

Rishi Sunak began his premiership with a promise to bring “integrity and accountability” back to the heart of government.

But the prime minister and former chancellor has himself been at the centre of a string of investigations since breaking into the political mainstream.

One of the most damaging questions facing Mr Sunak has been around his family’s vast fortune. But he was also caught up in the Partygate scandal which contributed to the downfall of his predecessor Boris Johnson, resulting in him receiving a fixed penalty notice.

As Parliament’s ethics watchdog launched a fresh inquiry into the PM over a possible failure to declare his wife’s shares in a childcare agency, The Independent looks at six times Mr Sunak has been under scrutiny while serving in government.

Rishi Sunak is under investigation after facing allegations of a possible failure to declare the shares his wife holds in a childcare agency that was boosted by the recent Budget.

The inquiry opened by parliament’s standards watchdog relates to the shares Akshata Murty holds in Koru Kids, a No 10 source confirmed.

So why is Mr Sunak being probed on the link to the childcare agency? The Independent took a closer look at the growing row, and the transparency rules for ministers.