Nadhim Zahawi committed a serious breach of ministerial code, says Sunak

Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked arsenic Conservative Party president amid mounting unit implicit his taxation affairs.

The premier curate said an enquiry into Mr Zahawi's fiscal affairs showed determination was a "serious breach of the ministerial code".

Rishi Sunak ordered the probe aft it emerged Mr Zahawi paid a punishment to HMRC portion helium was chancellor, implicit antecedently unpaid tax.

Mr Zahawi had said HRMC accepted it was a "careless and not deliberate" error.

In a missive to Mr Zahawi, Mr Sunak said the MP could beryllium "extremely arrogant of your wide-ranging achievements successful authorities implicit the past 5 years".

He specifically cited Mr Zahawi's enactment overseeing the Covid vaccine, saying it was "critical to ensuring our state came done this situation and saved galore lives".

Mr Zahawi had travel nether accrued scrutiny aft helium confirmed helium had made a outgo to settee a quality with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The BBC understands the quality was resolved betwixt July and September past year, erstwhile helium was chancellor and successful complaint of the taxation system.

The full magnitude paid was successful the portion of astir £5m, including a penalty, the BBC understands.

On Monday, Mr Sunak had asked his autarkic morals adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to look into the disclosures astir Mr Zahawi's taxation affairs, saying determination were "questions that request answering".