Katy Balls Katy Balls

Rolling in it: the return of Tory sleaze

When Rishi Sunak stood on the steps of Downing Street to give his first speech as Prime Minister, he had a simple message: ‘This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.’ He wanted his premiership to move on from the scandal, mayhem and psycho-drama of his two predecessors. As Michael Gove later put it: ‘Boring is back.’ The government, he said, has an ‘utter determination to try to be as dull as possible’.

But the Tory scandal stories that Sunak is so keen to avoid are not, it seems, over yet. His party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, is reported to have had to pay a penalty of more than £1 million as part of a settlement to the taxman over a ‘careless’ error. Richard Sharp, the BBC chairman, is under investigation over his alleged role in helping to arrange discussions about an £800,000 loan for the then prime minister Boris Johnson from Johnson’s distant cousin; just a few weeks later, the government announced Sharp as its preferred candidate for chairman. After the loan was agreed the three men had enjoyed a dinner together in Chequers. Meanwhile Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, is still under investigation over bullying claims.

‘They used to say the Tories will get done on sex and Labour on money,’ says one former minister. ‘These days, we do both.’ Voters will be especially unforgiving of scandals involving money during a cost-of-living crisis and after the government has raised taxes. The stories bring a sense of déjà-vu to Tory MPs and voters who thought the Boris-era shenanigans had been exhausted.

Why didn’t Sunak ask Zahawi what the tax row was about, and judge for himself if it was compromising?

The most immediate issue facing Sunak regards the future of Zahawi. Sunak earlierthis month assured voters that his party chairman’s tax affairs had been addressed ‘in full’; we’re now told that this assurance was based on the information he had at the time.

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