Rishi Sunak: From Zahawi and Raab to seatbelt gaffe – the U-turns and scandals of his first months as PM

Rishi Sunak’s first three months as prime minister have been far from plain sailing.

Significant storm clouds are hanging over the government as the prime minister looks to overturn Labour’s commanding lead in the polls.

Despite Mr Sunak trying to distance himself from the turbulent premiership of Boris Johnson, rows over propriety and standards have continued.

Here, Sky News looks at the scandals and U-turns during his time as PM – including his sacking of Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi.

Follow reaction to Zahawi’s sacking – live updates

Suella Braverman

Just a few days into his premiership, Mr Sunak was under significant pressure over his reappointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary after a former party chair claimed she had committed “multiple breaches” of the ministerial code.

The week before, Ms Braverman had resigned from the same role in former PM Liz Truss’s government after using her personal email address to forward sensitive government documents, breaking the rules ministers have to abide by.

But Mr Sunak put her back into the Home Office on the following Tuesday, and stood by the decision after being pressed on it in the Commons the next day.

Former Tory Party chair Sir Jake Berry alleged “there were multiple breaches of the ministerial code”, while Nadhim Zahawi said officials within the Cabinet Office had warned against bringing her back due to security breaches.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Sunak of having done a “grubby deal” with Ms Braverman – a figure popular on the right of the party – in order to secure the keys to Number 10.

But the PM resisted the calls to sack Ms Braverman and she remains in post as home secretary.

Gavin Williamson

Mr Sunak’s judgement came under further scrutiny just a few weeks later after cabinet minister Sir Gavin Williamson quit, vowing to clear his name over bullying claims.

Sir Gavin, who at the time was attending cabinet as a minister without portfolio, was accused of abusive behaviour towards MPs and civil servants – but denies any wrongdoing.

He was accused of sending abusive text messages to Wendy Morton, the former chief whip under Liz Truss, complaining that he and other colleagues had been excluded from the Queen’s funeral for political reasons.

The prime minister tried to let an independent investigation into the matter run its course, defending Sir Gavin in media interviews for “expressing regret” while condemning his language.

But Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper accused Mr Sunak of ignoring the complaint and called for Sir Gavin to be sacked.

Sir Gavin was previously fired as defence secretary in May 2019 over allegations of leaking info from National Security Council meetings, and lost his job as education secretary after two years when Mr Johnson decided to drop him in a cabinet reshuffle.

But Mr Sunak did not pull the trigger to axe one of his biggest backers behind the scenes, with Sir Gavin opting to quit himself over the row.

Dominic Raab

In November, numerous allegations about Justice Secretary Dominic Raab’s behaviour surfaced relating to his previous stint in the role under Mr Johnson, with staff reportedly offered a “route out” of his department when he was reinstated in October.

Civil servants who worked with him told The Guardian he was a “very rude and aggressive” boss while another report claimed the justice secretary had acquired the nickname “The Incinerator” because he “burns through” staff.

Despite the allegations, Mr Sunak stood by his close ally, telling reporters: “I don’t recognise that characterisation of Dominic and I’m not aware of any formal complaints about him.”

But additional weight was added to the claims following a report by Bloomberg that Simon Case, the head of the civil service, was told by senior officials of concerns about Mr Raab’s abrasive treatment of junior staff and took steps to try to improve his behaviour.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson at the time said: “We have no record of any formal complaints.”

It was revealed that Mr Raab has reportedly been the subject of formal bullying complaints by at least 24 civil servants.

Eight formal allegations have been levelled against the deputy prime minister and are being investigated by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC.

But the PM has resisted calls to suspend Mr Raab while the probe is conducted.

Nadhim Zahawi

Earlier this month, The Sun On Sunday published a report claiming Mr Zahawi had paid a seven-figure sum to settle a tax dispute over the sale of his YouGov shares.

The shares, worth an estimated £27m, were held by Balshore Investments, a company registered offshore in Gibraltar linked to Mr Zahawi’s family.

Sky News understands that, as part of a settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Mr Zahawi paid a penalty to the tax collector.

Mr Sunak ordered an investigation by Sir Laurie Magnus, his independent adviser on ministers’ interests, into whether Mr Zahawi broke ministerial rules over the estimated £4.8m bill he apparently settled with HMRC while he was chancellor.

Who is Nadhim Zahawi?

The PM told MPs that while it would have been “politically expedient” to sack Mr Zahawi, “due process” meant that the investigation into his tax affairs should be allowed to reach its conclusion.

Mr Zahawi said HMRC concluded there had been a “careless and not deliberate” error in the way the shares had been treated and has insisted he is “confident” and has “acted properly throughout”.

However on Sunday, the PM sacked Mr Zahawi as Tory party chairman after the inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs found a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.

Seatbelt fine

Mr Sunak was given a fixed penalty notice after being caught not wearing a seatbelt.

Lancashire Police issued the notice after the prime minister appeared without a belt in a clip on Instagram as he promoted his levelling-up funding policies in the county.

Mr Sunak accepted the fine. Fines of up to £500 can be issued for failing to wear a seatbelt when one is available.

In a statement, Number 10 said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.”

After being issued with the fixed penalty notice, Mr Sunak became the second serving prime minister – after Mr Johnson – to be found to have broken the law while in office.

Like Mr Johnson, he has previously been fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules.

After the seatbelt fine, Labour said the prime minister has been turned into a “laughing stock”.

Multiple U-turns

Within the first three months of his premiership, Mr Sunak has also been forced to carry out a series of U-turns to appease Conservative backbench MPs.

Mandatory housebuilding targets were ditched following pressure from the PM’s own side.

Facing a rebel amendment from around 30 Tory MPs – including former PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – Mr Sunak also U-turned over a ban on onshore wind by saying turbines could be installed if the projects gain the support of local communities.

Mr Sunak’s line that he would not attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt due to “pressing domestic commitments” was also reversed following outrage from environmental campaigners – with COP26 President Alok Sharma saying he was “pretty disappointed” by the prime minister’s original decision, and the PM ultimately giving way to pressure to attend.