LONDON: The parliamentary watchdog is investigating British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over a possible failure to declare shares his wife holds in a childcare agency that benefits from a recent budget.
Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg launched the probe into shares Akshata Murty holds in Koru Kids.
The rules require members to “always be frank and open in declaring any relevant interest in any the House’s proceeding or its committees.”
Sunak’s office has said that the prime minister is “happy to assist the Commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a Ministerial interest.”
However, Sunak did not mention Murty’s shares in the firm at a recent committee hearing.
In March, Jeremy Hunt, the Finance Minister, announced a pilot program of incentive payments for childminders who joined the profession, with the amount doubling if they signed up through one of six agencies, including Koru Kids.
Sunak’s wife’s wealth is estimated at around $700 million
Koru Kids is owned by Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, who is the daughter of the co-founder of Indian IT giant Infosys, and her wealth is estimated at around $700 million. Sunak had faced criticism earlier when it was discovered that Murty had “non-dom” status and had not declared earnings from her dividends in Infosys for UK tax purposes.
However, she later agreed to include them after the controversy. Critics, including the main opposition Labour Party, have accused the privately wealthy Sunak of being disconnected from the challenges faced by ordinary voters struggling with rising costs.
When he assumed power in October, Sunak promised “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” following the short reign of Liz Truss and the scandal-ridden premiership of Boris Johnson. However, Sunak himself had received fines for not wearing a seatbelt and for violating lockdown rules when he served as Finance Minister under Johnson.
The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be. Some observers have suggested that Sunak may face calls to resign if the investigation finds that he did not declare his wife’s shares promptly and transparently.
