PM insists he 'acted pretty decisively' over Zahawi tax affairs

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Labour MP Stephen Kinnock says the PM is "hopelessly weak" and is "trying to lead an ungovernable party".

Asked his thoughts on Nadhim Zahawi’s sacking on BBC Two's Politics Live, Kinnock also says: "There is scandal and sleaze everywhere you look. We cannot have someone in the cabinet putting themselves forward to be chancellor when they’re being investigated by HMRC."

"The fact Rishi Sunak allowed this to go on is simply because he's trying to manage all the factions in his party and once again we have the Conservatives putting party interests ahead of the interest of the country. They should get out of the way and let Labour take over," Kinnock said.

Rishi Sunak has had a lot to deal with over the last month, and this seems to be reflected among Conservatives - at least according to Tory news website Conservative Home.

Their monthly Cabinet League Table - according to a survey of Tory party members - sees Sunak's net satisfaction rating drop from 10.2% to 2.9%. His Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is sitting on -6.2%.

The top three Cabinet members in this survey are the same as last month - Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

It looks like Zahawi won't be missed by Tories, at least according to this panel - they have him on a net satisfaction rating of -48%.

We've been hearing more about the potential damage to the prime minister, the government and the Conservative Party as a whole.

Tory peer and pollster Lord Robert Hayward has been talking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme and fears there is fatigue with politicians which could damage turnout at local, regional and national elections.

"There is inevitably damage to any political party when any of these things happen," he says.

"Tragically there is a broader issue because we've had these issues - MPs sent to prison in the last decade - the impact is on the good politician, those in councils, not just MPs.

"The overwhelming majority of people whatever level they're serving actually do a very good job.

"It is important to maintain trust."

Here's a bit more from the PM's official spokesman - who has said the PM was advised there were no outstanding issues involving HMRC when he appointed Nadim Zahawi.

Asked if the PM had ever asked Zahawi about press reports concerning his tax affairs, the spokesman said he wouldn’t get into private discussions. Downing Street said ministers were required to declare their relevant issues and Zahawi did not.

The spokesman was also asked about the difference between Home Secretary Suella Braverman's security breach and Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs.

Braverman resigned in October, when Liz Truss was PM, after sending an official document from her personal email, but was re-appointed six days later when Rishi Sunak became prime minister.

"Braverman resigned and acknowledged the mistake she made," the spokesman said, "it was on that basis that the prime minister chose to reappoint her".

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Nadhim Zahawi's sacking as party chairman has just been discussed on BBC 2's Politics Live.

Tory MP Bim Afolami says reports that Boris Johnson could take the job were "unlikely to happen".

Afolami adds that he's "not particularly" keen on the idea himself.

The Telegraph reported on Sunday that former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg had tipped Johnson to become the next Conservative leader.

Afolami says having a fair investigation process into issues such as Zahawi's taxes, and giving a politician a chance to set out the facts, is "really important".

"It’s really important that we do not say because there is a media storm about an individual or an issue that that means the only way... is to fire the person in post."

He describes Zahawi as a friend and effective politician, but says that when the "full facts were known the PM acted decisively" - echoing Sunak's comments earlier today.

Earlier in County Durham, Rishi Sunak was asked by ITV's Robert Peston why so many people at the top of his party find it so difficult to follow the rules. Here's what he had to say:

It's been a busy morning for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who's been defending his actions in relation to the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as a government minister and Conservative party chair yesterday. Here's a quick recap of what's been happening:

• Sunak sacked Zahawi as Conservative chair on Sunday following a report from the prime minister's ethics adviser, which found that Zahawi had broken the ministerial code

• Answering questions from journalists on Monday morning in County Durham, Sunak insisted he can't be blamed for things that happened before he became prime minister and maintained that he had "acted pretty decisively" after receiving the report
• But Labour are calling for Sunak to answer further questions about when he found out HMRC were investigating Zahawi
• Pressure on Zahawi continues - the Liberal Democrats have written to the prime minister stating that Zahawi should lose the Conservative whip - be kicked out of the party in parliament - if he does not resign as an MP
• However, former anti-corruption champion and Conservative MP John Penrose says Zahawi has already been given two big penalties (having been sacked and been made to pay a large fine) and "more things should not be heaped on him"
• Allies of Zahawi have also raised concerns about how the ethics investigation was carried out.

Stay with us for more updates.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman has been speaking to reporters, after concerns were raised by allies of Zahawi about how the probe into his tax affairs was carried out.

As the BBC's Nick Eardley has been reporting, some have been saying Zahawi only had one 30-minute meeting with Sir Laurie Magnus, who led the probe.

"We did not set any time limit for the adviser and he was free to carry out the investigation to establish the facts, and conclude his work when he thought he had done," the spokesman said.

Rishi Sunak "expects any appointed ministers to declare relevant interests and abide by the ministerial code", the spokesman adds.

There are no plans to make further changes to the appointments protocol as they had been updated recently, Downing Street went on to say.

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The prime minister is trying to draw a line under the Nadhim Zahawi affair. He’s said he acted decisively when he got the report yesterday and sacked the Tory chairman.

That’s true. Although the report’s conclusion meant any other outcome was pretty impossible, Sunak sacked Zahawi within a couple of hours of reading it.

There is a question over whether the probe could have started earlier (some Tory MPs think so). And whether the prime minister needed a report to sack Zahawi (opposition parties say no).

Sunak believes his government can only be held responsible for things that happen on his watch. That’ll sound reasonable to many people.

But as prime minister, he also has to try and move on from some of the questions around ethics and standards that have swirled in the past two years. That’s proving a challenge at the moment - and remember there’s the investigation into Dominic Raab and a privileges committee probe into Boris Johnson to come.

Former Tory leader William Hague has quashed rumours that he could be the new party chairman after Nadhim Zahawi was sacked.

Lord Hague took to Twitter to deny rumours that he might be replacing the former chancellor as leader of the Conservative party.

He said: "Please be aware that I will absolutely not be returning to politics in any shape or form, including that one."

It's too soon to know how the fallout from Nadhim Zahawi's sacking will further impact the British public's trust in politicians.

What we do know is that, in his investigation, PM Rishi Sunak's independent ethics adviser found that the former Tory chairman showed "insufficient regard for the general principles of the ministerial code and the requirements - in particular to be honest, open and an exemplary leader through his own behaviour".

He was also critical of Zahawi for describing new reports about his tax affairs as "smears" and failing to correct the record until January 2023. "I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness," Sir Laurie Magnus wrote in his report.

All this comes against the backdrop of already-waning public trust in UK politics, as Ipsos pollster Keiran Pedley reminds us with a striking graph about which professions British people trust to tell them the truth. Published in November, it finds that just 12% of people have faith in politicians to do so.

Could this saga make that figure lower? We'll have to wait and see.

The PM is asked by ITV’s Robert Peston why so many people at the top of the Conservative Party seem to struggle to follow the rules.

Rishi Sunak responds: “I ordered the investigation. This should give you the confidence that these things matter to me.

“I can’t be held accountable for things which happened before I was PM,” he adds.

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Rishi Sunak is pressed on Nadhim Zahawi and asked if he is furious about the former chancellor's conduct and the damage it has done to the government following a row over his tax affairs.

The PM says he "acted pretty decisively" when the former Conservative party chairman was found to have broken the ministerial code.

Speaking to NHS staff in County Durham, Rishi Sunak says he took a "very quick decision" that it was "no longer appropriate" for Zahawi to serve in government.

"What I have done is follow a process, which is the right process," Sunak says, adding "Integrity is really important to me."

Thanks for staying with us. Sunak is now taking questions from the media which include some about his sacking of Tory Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi.

We'll bring you full details of what the PM says.

If you're just joining us, here's a reminder as to what's been going on:

• Rishi Sunak sacked Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative chair on Sunday following weeks of revelations about his tax affairs
• This followed an investigation after it emerged Zahawi had paid a penalty to HMRC over previously unpaid tax
• The report that followed was swift - it took less than a week for ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to find Zahawi had breached the ministerial code several times over nearly two years
• Zahawi failed to declare HMRC were looking into his taxes despite specific prompts on the ministerial interests declaration form - including when he became chancellor
• He remains a Conservative MP despite being found to have made untrue public statements. He has not apologised for those, or any of the other breaches identified
• This morning there is no replacement Conservative chair - only an acting one
• Labour says there are serious questions for Sunak to answer over his handling of the whole affair
• The Lib Dems have written to the PM saying the former chancellor should lose the party whip if he refuses to quit as an MP

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If you're wondering why the words "Stop the Boats" are hovering over Sunak's head for this NHS Question and Answer session, well it’s because the PM's five pledges are being shown on the wall behind him.

His promise to tackle the small boats crossings across the Channel is the fifth one, and so appears prominently in these camera shots.

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The prime minister is now facing questions - we'll let you know if he's grilled on the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi.

During the visit to County Durham, Rishi Sunak pledged the "largest and fastest-ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the NHS's history."

Listeners on Radio 5 Live are discussing how well Prime Minister Rishi Sunak handled the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi.

Rachel in Leicester thinks Sunak should have sacked Zahawi earlier, or at least suspended him pending an investigation.

She says after Sunak said the matter had been dealt with in full during Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament two weeks ago, it then later came out that Zahawi "had lied" about his tax affairs.

Quote Message: In any other walk of life then he would have been suspended pending investigation." from Rachel in Leicester

In any other walk of life then he would have been suspended pending investigation."

Another Rachel, calling in from West Lothian, says Sunak's decision not to sack Zahawi sooner has made him look weak, but that the impact of sacking Zahawi on the government must have been a factor in waiting to make the decision.

Quote Message: The problem is that's the second cabinet minister now to go." from Rachel in West Lothian

The problem is that's the second cabinet minister now to go."

She says the impact of having another cabinet minister removed - after Gavin Williamson resigned following allegations of bullying last year - has "a huge affect on Rishi Sunak as prime minister, but also the party, because it also just makes them look like here comes another one that's going to get sacked."

However, another caller, Samuel, disagrees and says that though he is not a fan of Sunak himself, he doesn't think he's come across particularly weak in this situation and that he was right to wait to establish all the facts.

Quote Message: You have to know all the facts before firing someone." from Samuel in Portsmouth

You have to know all the facts before firing someone."

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Rishi Sunak is in County Durham, where he'll be taking part in a live Q&A session around 10.10.

He is actually talking about the NHS - specifically government plans to help recover emergency care services. But he is likely to be thrown questions about Zahawi's tax affairs.

Labour say there are serious questions for the PM to answer about when he learned HMRC was investigating Zahawi.

Let's see what Sunak gets asked.