Chris Mason: Zahawi's unanswered questions

There are inactive loads of unanswered questions astir the taxation affairs of the Conservative Party president Nadhim Zahawi.

And determination are inactive loads of unanswered questions astir what the premier curate knew and erstwhile astir the full thing.

What is wide is Downing Street's assurance successful Mr Zahawi has drained distant compared to a week ago, if not wholly emptied.

The premier minister's actions beryllium that - asking his morals advisor to look into it - adjacent if his team's words don't springiness overmuch away.

Was helium disappointed to observe a fewer days agone that Mr Zahawi paid a punishment to the taxation authority?

"We won't remark connected the premier minister's affectional state" came the playful if not wholly adjuvant reply from his spokesman.

Incidentally, nary of this volition halt Mr Zahawi rolling up successful the Buckinghamshire countryside connected Thursday for a furniture distant time astatine the premier minister's state retreat, Chequers.

Mr Zahawi volition beryllium astatine the all-day event, which volition commencement with what is known arsenic "political cabinet" first, wherever discussions absorption connected enactment politics. That's followed by a accepted furniture gathering successful the afternoon, wherever the concern of authorities is connected the agenda.

After Prime Minister's Questions connected Wednesday, Rishi Sunak's authoritative spokesperson and 1 of his elder advisers spent astir 35 minutes facing questions from reporters astir Mr Zahawi.

It became thing of an endurance slalom event, his squad swerving this mode oregon that to debar galore of the questions.

Crucially, they wouldn't archer america whether Mr Sunak had talked to Mr Zahawi earlier past week's PMQs. Back past the premier curate said the full happening astir his enactment chairman's taxes had already been addressed "in full."

Had the reply to that question been yes, the evident travel up would person been did helium question item astir Mr Zahawi's colony with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Was Mr Sunak sufficiently curious, was Mr Zahawi sufficiently candid?

And had the reply been no, the evident travel up would person been truthful however could the premier curate person been truthful definitive successful insisting determination was thing to spot present a week ago.

But we are presently nary the wiser.

What we were told was the premier curate does person assurance successful Mr Zahawi, adjacent though Mr Sunak said it would person been politically expedient to sack him.

To beryllium fair, immoderate serving curate technically has to person the assurance of the premier minister.

But it was 1 of respective moments wherever the verbal contortions required by his squad to debar saying thing overmuch astatine each prompted a laughter from the assembled huddle of journalists.

And determination is simply a broader beforehand opening up too.

The weaponising of wealth, with Labour and the SNP pointing to the premier minister's immense wealthiness too.

However admirably accumulated, for those astatine the apical of authorities who are mega-rich determination is ever apt to beryllium governmental vulnerability astir a cognition of being detached from the lives of mean people and having concerns and issues implicit tax, for instance, that look other-worldly.

Both Keir Starmer and the SNP's Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn made notation to the premier minister's woman who, it emerged past year, had legally avoided millions of pounds of UK tax, earlier saying, aft a governmental row, she would wage it from past on.

So had Mr Sunak ever paid a punishment to HMRC arsenic we cognize Mr Zahawi has?

Five hours later, a connection from Downing Street: "The premier curate has ne'er paid a punishment to HMRC."

It won't beryllium the past clip Rishi Sunak's wealthiness comes nether scrutiny.

But it is his judgement that is the existent absorption present - arsenic the Nadhim Zahawi matter rumbles on.