Parliament watchdog opens investigation into Rishi Sunak

Read More

Rishi Sunak is being investigated by parliament’s commissioner for standards over a potential breach of rules relating to the declaration of interests, understood to be related to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife is an investor.

The commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, opened an investigation into the prime minister on Thursday last week, an update on the commissioner’s website said.

The entry says only that it relates to paragraph six of the updated code of conduct for MPs, which states they “must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the house or its committees”.

Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, is listed as a shareholder in Koru Kids, which is among six private childcare providers likely to benefit from a pilot scheme proposed in last month’s budget to incentivise people to become childminders, with ?1,200 offered to those who train through the agency.

On 28 March, Sunak did not mention his wife’s interest when speaking about the childcare changes before the liaison committee. He was asked by the Labour MP Catherine McKinnell whether he had anything to declare. “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way,” he told McKinnell.

It later emerged that bosses from the company attended a Downing Street reception hours after Sunak’s committee appearance.

It is understood that McKinnell raised the issue with the commissioner.

Sunak does not list his wife’s shareholding on his register of interests as an MP, which MPs are required to update promptly.

Downing Street has argued that this is not necessary, because Sunak cited it on a separate register of ministerial interests. This, however, has not yet been published, as it is still being compiled by the new adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus.

One of Greenberg’s main decisions will be whether this interpretation of the interest regulations is correct.

Magnus was appointed in December after six months in which the post was not occupied after the resignation of Christopher Geidt, who stepped down amid his unhappiness about Boris Johnson’s role in lockdown-breaching No 10 parties.

The ministerial register of interests is meant to be updated twice a year, but has been delayed owing to the lack of an adviser. The MPs’ register of interests, in contrast, is updated every fortnight.