PM investigated over possible failure to declare wife’s shareholding in childcare firm
Parliament’s standards watchdog has opened an investigation into the prime minister over a possible failure to declare an interest when first asked.
The probe by the standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, was launched last Thursday and cited paragraph 6 of the MPs’ code of conduct, which governs how MPs should behave.
The code states that MPs “must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders”.
A Downing Street source said the investigation relates to the shares Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty holds in a childcare agency that could benefit from a policy announced in the budget.
Read more:
Search for your MP’s expenses on our Westminster Accounts tool
PM says ‘transparency really important’
A spokesperson for Number 10 said: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”
Mr Sunak faced accusations of a possible conflict of interest after he failed to mention Ms Murty’s links to Koru Kids, a childcare agency, when he was questioned by MPs over why the announcement in the budget that childminders joining the profession will receive incentive payments favoured private firms.
The i newspaper revealed that Companies House listed her as a shareholder in the organisation as recently as 6 March.
Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty
In a letter to parliament’s liaison committee, which quizzed the PM last month, Mr Sunak said he had declared his interests in “the normal way”.
However, in his subsequent letter to the committee, he certified that this was in the ministers’ register, which had not been published at the time he gave evidence to MPs.
While the MPs’ register of interests requires members to declare any payments, donations or hospitality that might be reasonably considered to influence their work in parliament, the MPs’ code of conduct does not require them to record the interests of their spouses or partners.
However, the ministerial register of interests is governed by the ministerial code – which does require the declaration of “interests of the minister’s spouse or partner and close family which might be thought to give rise to a conflict”.
According to the Institute for Government, this distinction makes the ministerial register of interests stricter than that of the MPs’ register of interests.
Any potential punishment is far down the line, but this probe is clearly serious
The overall aim was to boost the number of childminders able to take up work, which came as part of a broader package about expanding childcare for parents of younger children as well.
The allegation is essentially that when Rishi Sunak was being asked about this, he hadn’t flagged up in that instant that his wife was a shareholder in an agency that would potentially benefit from this policy announcement.
Yes, it was out there in the media, but the rules and code of conduct of parliament is that you have to take formal steps to outline these potential interests so that any potential conflicts of interest between your political day job and personal interests are set out and transparent.
This investigation will go on to see whether the prime minister has declared his interests properly.
The defence from the prime minister is that actually because there’s a register of ministerial interests, where ministers declare potential financial interests or conflicts; because that hasn’t been updated for a year or so now, the new register of ministerial interests will have it detailed there.
The standards adviser investigates and comes back with a decision on whether the code of conduct has been broken.
If it has, that’s where the focus shifts onto what type of punishment should be imposed.
That’s quite far down the line, but it is clearly serious.
But critics, including the Labour chairman of the Standards Committee Chris Bryant, have called for the two registers to be combined because the ministerial register is published far less frequently and so is less visible to the public.
In his letter to the committee, Mr Sunak wrote: “I note that there has been some media coverage relating to the minority stake my wife has in relation to the company Koru Kids.
“I was being asked questions by the committee in my capacity as prime minister.
“I would like to clarify for the parliamentary record that this interest has rightly been declared to the Cabinet Office.”
The prime minister said the most recent list of ministerial interests would be published “shortly” by his independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.
Sunak’s wife at centre of the investigation – politics latest
“This regime ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential conflict of interest, and that the interests of ministers’ spouses or partners are not something that would influence their actions either as ministers or as members of parliament,” he added.
Mr Sunak has previously said that “transparency is really important” for parliament to operate well.
In reaction to Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project launched in January, the prime minister said there was a reason that “rules and regulations” are in place.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sunak: ‘Transparency is important’
“I think transparency is really important for the healthy functioning of democracy, it’s absolutely right that there’s disclosures around donations and outside interests,” he said.
Mr Sunak wrote to the liaison committee to follow up on points that were raised at its session with the prime minister last month.
Labour MP Catherine McKinnell pointed out that six private childcare agencies were set to benefit from Jeremy Hunt’s budget, in which the chancellor announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession – a sum that doubles to £1,200 if they sign up through an agency.
Ms McKinnell quizzed Mr Sunak on the logic behind making the bonus twice as much for childminders who sign up through private agencies.
His response was that the policy was “designed in consultation with the sector”.
Pressed again on the rationale, he said: “I think it’s a reflection of the fact that they are through intermediaries so there are additional costs.
“And, ultimately, we want to make sure the policy is effective in bringing additional people into the system.”
Rishi Sunak giving evidence to the liaison committee in March
Asked if he had any interest to declare, Mr Sunak replied: “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way.”
The Liberal Democrats previously said that Ms Murty’s shareholding raised “serious questions” for Mr Sunak and called on Sir Laurie to investigate.
In response to the launch of the investigation, Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Another day and another accusation of a Conservative prime minister bending the rules.
“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 which is focused on the country, rather than saving their own skin.”
Read more:
Tory MP has whip suspended after suggesting he is willing to break lobbying rules for money
Matt Hancock among three MPs under investigation by Commons watchdog
Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner 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.
“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.
“While this prime minister fails to deliver the integrity he promised and preserves the rotten standards regime he inherited as the Tories resist tighter rules, Labour has a plan to clean up politics with an Independent ethics and integrity commission to restore standards in public life.”
The prime minister is just the latest MP to be investigated by the commissioner, who is looking into the behaviour of six MPs in total.
Last week investigations were opened into three MPs, including former health secretary Matt Hancock, Tory MP Henry Smith and independent MP Scott Benton.
Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she has split from her husband, Peter Murrell.
Ms Sturgeon and Ms Murrell met via the SNP and first became a couple in 2003. They later married in July 2010 at Oran Mor in Glasgow.
Ms Sturgeon with Mr Murrell following their wedding service at Oran Mor in Glasgow in 2010. Pic PA
Mr Murrell giving Ms Sturgeon a kiss after she was voted in as first minister in 2014. Pic: PA
In a statement posted to Instagram stories, she wrote: “With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage.
“To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.
“It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will.
“We will be making no further comment.”
Ms Sturgeon announcing the split on Instagram
Ms Sturgeon unexpectedly announced she was stepping down as Scotland’s first minister and SNP leader in February 2023 after succeeding Alex Salmond following the independence referendum in 2014.
Mr Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive since 2001, resigned from his post the following month after taking responsibility for misleading the media over party membership numbers amid the leadership race, which Humza Yousaf went on to win.
At the time, he said: “While there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome.”
In April 2023, Mr Murrell was arrested as part of a probe into the SNP’s funding and finances. He was later charged with embezzling SNP funds in April last year.
Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie have also been arrested and released without charge as part of Police Scotland’s long-running Operation Branchform.
The probe, which has been ongoing since July 2021, is linked to the spending of around £600,000 raised by SNP supporters to be earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.
In September, it emerged senior officers had contacted the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) the month before for “advice and guidance” on the next steps in the investigation.
Meantime, Ms Sturgeon continues to deny any wrongdoing.
In an interview last month, the Glasgow Southside MSP said she knew “nothing more” about the inquiry and was getting on with life “as best I can at the moment”.
MPs will today debate a change in the law proposed by a bereaved mother who believes social media may hold crucial clues to her son’s death.
Jools Sweeney was 14 when he was found unconscious at home in April 2022.
His parents and friends who saw him earlier that day say there were no signs he was depressed.
A coroner found he took his own life, but that he probably did not intend to, as he was unable to confirm he was in a suicidal mood.
His mother Ellen Roome suspects he may have taken part in an online challenge.
She has spent two years trying to get access to his social media accounts but says the tech companies have made it “very difficult”.
Her petition to allow bereaved parents or guardians to access a child’s full social media history attracted 126,000 signatures, known as Jools Law, and will be debated in parliament later.
“Earlier in the day he was playing football with a group of friends,” she said.
“You can see on our security camera he said goodbye to his friend, all chirpy, an hour and a half before I got home.
“We can’t have all, his parents, friends, teachers, grandparents, missed depression. And so we’re left with these huge question marks,” she said.
“The pain in my heart of not knowing what happened that night or why is incredibly hard. I don’t want another family to go through it.”
‘It’s my gut feeling and I just want to know’
MPs are to debate Ellen Roome’s suggestions
Ms Roome, 48 from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, fears her son may have taken part in an online challenge which led to his death.
The police and coroner did not gather forensic data from his phone.
With help from her son’s friends, Ellen has been able to unlock his phone and access some of his accounts, but some material has been deleted.
She says the tech companies have not given her full access to what Jools was looking at before his death.
“I have always said I don’t know it’s social media but that’s always been my gut feeling and I just want to know – it’s the missing piece of the jigsaw,” she said.
“He did an awful lot of challenges, like standing on his hands putting a t-shirt on upside down. I thought they were fun, viral challenges. I never knew about some of the more dangerous ones.
“The police didn’t ask for the data from social media companies. The detective didn’t even find out he had more than one TikTok and Instagram account.”
She says the social media companies have not given her all his messages and browsing history.
“They could say ‘here it is, I hope you get some answers’. They could redact the details of other children.”
Jools died a week after 12-year-old Archie Battersbee from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was left brain-damaged by what a coroner concluded was an online prank and later died.
Sky News has contacted Meta, which owns Instagram, as well as TikTok and Snapchat. None provided an on-the-record statement, but they are understood to have been in contact with Ms Roome.
Ms Roome wants access to her late son’s social media
Police ‘supporting’ family
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said they were limited in what they could request because it was not a criminal case.
“We cannot fathom how upsetting it must be for the family to not have answers after Jools took his own life.
“We supported the Sweeney family and coroner’s office throughout an investigation into the cause of his death.
“As part of this Jools’s phone was given to police and a review of the contents took place, as well as the manual review of a TikTok account. Nothing was found as part of these searches to provide any answers.
“Police are limited in what lines of enquiry can be taken to access private social media accounts hosted by private companies due to legislation, which states that you have to be proving or disproving an indictable offence, which is not applicable in this case and therefore there was no legal basis to apply for a production order.
“We know this sadly doesn’t help Jools’ family get the answers they are searching for, and we continue to support them with their own application for access to his social media accounts.”
A TikTok representative held a meeting with Ms Roome last year and explained that the law requires companies to delete people’s personal data – unless there is a police request for it.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
May 2024: ‘I have no idea why he isn’t here’
Read more:
Social media failing to remove dangerous content
Tech bosses threatened with jail over child protection
Everything ‘on the table’ in debate
‘I don’t want any other family in my position’
In April 2024, new powers allowing coroners to require the production of social media evidence were introduced. Jools’s inquest was by then closed.
Ms Roome is preparing a case to go to the High Court to get a fresh inquest and is crowdfunding the £86,000 cost to find answers.
The government issued a response to Ms Roome’s petition, saying that tech companies should respond to requests from bereaved parents in a “humane and transparent way”.
A new Digital Information and Data Bill, to be passed this year, would compel social media companies to retain data in cases where a child has died, so a coroner can request it.
But Ms Roome is worried it would not compel coroners and police to request the data.
Peter Kyle has said he will be looking ‘very, very closely’ at the issue. Pic: PA
“I don’t want any other family to be in the position I am two-and-a-half years after my son’s death. It should be automatic,” she said.
Her lawyer Merry Varney, partner at Leigh Day, also represented the family of Molly Russell who fought for months to access what she saw online.
‘It’s left to parents to fill the gaps’
Ms Varney told Sky News: “Getting that information is incredibly difficult, it’s a moving target. You’ve got the posters of the content, they control whether it’s deleted or made private.
“The social media companies take this line ‘it’s not for us, it’s not our responsibility’, which makes for a very challenging set of circumstances – and it’s not right.
“There’s a lot the social media and tech platforms say about wanting to help, to be seen to be doing the right thing. But are they transparent about the gaps? No.
“It’s left to the parents to fill the gaps themselves and it can be costly and difficult.”
👉 Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle spoke to Sky News in November. He said: “Coroners have the power now to compel the release of that data so it can be looked at.
“I’m going to be looking very, very closely at how those powers are used, that all coroners know that they have those powers and then if there’s any additional powers that are needed going forward, then, of course, you know, I’m all ears to see how that could work.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
The government will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, with plans being unveiled today by Sir Keir Starmer.
The prime minister is set to promise investment, jobs and economic growth due to a boom in the sector.
It comes as his government battles against allegations they are mismanaging the economy and stymied growth with the budget last autumn.
The government’s announcement claims that, if AI is “fully embraced”, it could bring £47bn to the economy every year.
And it says that £14bn is set to be invested by the private sector, bringing around 13,000 jobs.
The majority of those would be construction roles to build new data centres and other infrastructure, with a smaller number of technical jobs once the work is finished.
Sir Keir said: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.
“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”
The prime minister added that he wants Britain to be “the world leader” in AI.
The government announcement said: “Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation.”
Read more:
UK to ‘lose AI leadership’ without data strategy
How to protect your privacy from AI
To achieve this, the government will implement all 50 recommendations made by Matt Clifford following his review last year.
This includes creating new AI “growth zones” – the first of which is set to be in Culham, Oxfordshire, where the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority is based.
These zones will get faster planning decisions and extra power infrastructure.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Is the AI boom turning into a market bubble?
The government also wants to increase UK computing power 20-fold by 2030, including by building a brand-new supercomputer.
Labour cancelled a planned supercomputer when it entered office, as it claimed it wasn’t funded. The new venture is expected to be a joint public-private project.
The government says its plans will have three pillars. This includes laying the foundations with new AI growth zones and the new supercomputer.
The second is to boost AI take up by the public and private sectors. New pilots for AI in the public service are set to be announced, and Sir Keir has written to all cabinet ministers, telling them to drive AI adoption and growth.
And the third pillar is keeping ahead of the pack, with the government set to establish a “team” to keep the UK “at the forefront of emerging technology”.
The announcement was welcomed by a slew of technology bosses.
👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈
Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, which released ChatGPT, said: “The government’s AI action plan – led by the prime minister and [Science] Secretary Peter Kyle – recognises where AI development is headed and sets the UK on the right path to benefit from its growth.
“The UK has an enormous national resource in the talent of its people, institutions and businesses which together, can leverage AI to advance the country’s national interest.”
The shadow secretary for science, innovation and technology, Alan Mak, said: “Labour’s plan will not support the UK to become a tech and science superpower. They’re delivering analogue government in a digital age.
“Shaping a successful AI future requires investment, but in the six months leading up to this plan, Labour cut £1.3bn in funding for Britain’s first next-generation supercomputer and AI research whilst imposing a national insurance jobs tax that will cost business in the digital sector £1.66bn.
“AI does have the potential to transform public services, but Labour’s economic mismanagement and uninspiring plan will mean Britain is left behind.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway