PMQs: Sir Keir Starmer attacks ‘hopelessly weak’ Rishi Sunak for failing to sack Nadhim Zahawi
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested the job of prime minister is “too big” for a “hopelessly weak” Rishi Sunak as he attacked him for failing to sack Nadhim Zahawi.
At PMQs, the Labour leader asked if “any politician who seeks to avoid taxes they owe in the country is not fit to be in charge” of the UK finances – a reference to Mr Zahawi settling a seven-figure sum with HMRC, including a penalty, while he was chancellor.
“We all know why the prime minister was reluctant to ask his party chair questions about family finances and tax avoidance,” Sir Keir said – an apparent dig at the PM’s own tax affairs previously coming under scrutiny.
Politics live: Some Tories say ‘game over’ for Zahawi
“But his failure to sack him when the whole country can see what’s going on shows how hopelessly weak he is – a prime minister overseeing chaos, overwhelmed at every turn.”
Referencing problems with public services, Sir Keir added: “He can’t say when ambulances will get to heart attack victims again. He can’t say when the prisons system will keep streets safe again. He can’t even deal with tax avoiders in his own cabinet.
“Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?”
Mr Sunak accused Sir Keir of being a “hypocrite” for seeking to get him to sack his colleague rather than abide by the due process of the parliamentary investigation into Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs, which he said Labour had called for.
The PM said: “Of course, the politically expedient thing to do would be for me to have said that this matter must be resolved by Wednesday at noon.
“But I believe in proper due process.”
Mr Sunak added that he did not know about the investigation into Mr Zahawi’s taxes when he appointed him to his cabinet in October.
On Sir Keir’s attack line he said: “It’s simple political opportunism and everyone can see through it.”
Read More:
Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs: What did the Conservative Party chairman do?
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Political editor Beth Rigby analyses PMQs.
Questions have swirled around Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs since the summer when claims emerged that he was being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, the National Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs, accusations he deemed a “smear”.
The issue made headlines 10 days ago after The Sun on Sunday published an article claiming he had paid a seven-figure sum to the tax office to settle a dispute over the sale of his YouGov shares.
After a week of saying nothing more than his taxes “were and are fully up to date and are paid in the UK” – and publicly receiving the backing of Mr Sunak in last week’s PMQs – Mr Zahawi released a statement saying he had paid what HMRC said “was due” after it “disagreed about the exact allocation” of the shares.
The Tory chairman said this was a “careless and not a deliberate error” and did not confirm if any penalty was also levied. But Sky News understands that as part of the settlement with HMRC – thought to be around £4.8m – the chairman paid a penalty.
Zahawi ‘100% not resigning’
Mr Sunak has now asked his ethics adviser to carry out an inquiry into whether Mr Zahawi breached the ministerial code, and the investigation could extend into his prior tax arrangements and whether he lied to the media.
Speaking after PMQs, a Downing Street spokesperson said Mr Sunak still has full confidence in the senior Tory MP, who will be travelling to Chequers tomorrow for cabinet meetings.
They would not confirm if Mr Sunak would sack Mr Zahawi if he is found to have lied, saying they would not get into hypotheticals.
A source close to the former chancellor has told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby he “100% is not resigning”.
In a statement on Monday, following the PM’s announcement of an investigation into the matter, Mr Zahawi said: “I am confident I acted properly throughout and look forward to answering any and all specific questions in a formal setting to Sir Laurie.”
World
Iran not complying with nuclear obligations for first time in almost 20 years, says UN watchdog
The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.
It comes as sources have told US media that Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support.
Iran said it has “always adhered” to the safeguard obligations laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Tehran said it “has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” and said it would launch a new enrichment site “in a secure location”.
“Other measures are also being planned and will be announced subsequently,” Iran said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.
However Mr Trump told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” an agreement.
Iran will not abandon what it views as its right to enrich uranium – contrary to US demands, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that abandoning such enrichment was “100%” against the country’s interests.
Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran, particularly with reports that a deal between the US and Iran could include provisions about uranium enrichment. Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.
Such a strike would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
With tensions in the region simmering as the nuclear discussions unfold and with the potential for unrest, the US State Department ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
America has also authorised – rather than ordered – the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait
Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support, sources have told US media.
The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.
Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between Washington and Tehran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment.
Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is therefore considering a strike on Iran, a Capitol Hill aide and other sources familiar with the matter have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.
An Israeli strike on Iran would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration which has argued against such a move.
The prospect of a new front in the conflict in the Middle East has prompted the Trump administration to order all embassies within striking distance of Iranian missiles, aircraft and other assets, to send cables with assessments about the potential threat to Americans and US infrastructure, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The White House has not yet briefed senior politicians on the situation, according to a US official.
The reports have emerged after the US State Department said it had ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, due to the potential for regional unrest.
It did not mention any possible attack by Israel on Iran when it announced the move.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review.”
It comes as the US is also authorising the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait – giving the staff a choice as to whether to leave those countries.
Iraqi soldiers outside the US embassy in Baghdad in 2020. Pic: AP
An Iraqi government source told the country’s state news agency that Baghdad has not recorded any security indication that calls for the evacuation.
There was already limited staffing in the US embassy in Baghdad and the order will not affect a large number of personnel.
Meanwhile, the military dependents in Bahrain and Kuwait will have the option of leaving those countries at government expense and with government assistance.
Asked why the US personnel are being moved out of the Middle East, Mr Trump said on Wednesday evening: “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we’ll see what happens.”
When asked if there is anything that can be done to reduce tensions in the region, the US president said: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple, they can’t have a nuclear weapon, we’re not going to allow that.”
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Oman capital Muscat on Sunday to discuss the Iranian response to a recent US proposal, according to American news site Axios, which cited a US official.
The US and Iran have been engaged in talks aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions America has imposed on the country.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.
Read more from Sky News:
Controversial aid distributer accuses Hamas of deadly attack
Palestinians ‘killed by Israeli gunfire at US-backed aid site’
Tehran and Washington tensions
Mr Trump, who has previously said Israel or America could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed, has given a less-than-optimistic view about reaching a deal with Iran.
He told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” a deal.
“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame. I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them,” he said in the interview released on Wednesday.
Iran’s mission to the UN posted on the X social media platform that “threats of ‘overwhelming force’ won’t change facts”.
“Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,” the Iranian mission wrote on Wednesday.
World
Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians
The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members “may have been taken hostage”.
The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack.
In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday.
The GHF said those in the bus were “local Palestinians” working with the organisation to “deliver critical aid”.
“At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis”, the GHF added.
It continued in its statement: “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage.
“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers.”
The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid.
The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”.
“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” the GHF said.
“We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”
Read more:
How the Israeli-backed aid plan in Gaza is unravelling
Two Israeli ministers who have been sanctioned by the UK?
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From 10 June: The deadly road to Gaza aid point
The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City.
Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site.
Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May.
However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves.
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From 3 June: Shots fired as aid distributed in Gaza
Why is the aid system controversial?
Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.
Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.
The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence.
Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.
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