After the fall of Nadhim Zahawi, many taxing questions remain

The Guardian
·3 min read
<span>Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Now that Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked, having been found to be in serious breach of the ministerial code (Nadhim Zahawi sacked as Tory party chair over tax affairs, 29 January), surely the big question to ask is: how much UK tax has he avoided, albeit legally, by investing his wealth in overseas tax havens? And how many other MPs and government ministers also avoid UK tax by this method of investment? The ministerial code needs to be updated to question if it is morally acceptable for ministers to legally avoid tax while they are responsible for raising taxes from the rest of us, who are not rich enough to use this loophole.
Rob Tidbury
Paulton, Somerset

• I suppose we should not be surprised that Nadhim Zahawi’s resignation letter to the prime minister contains not a hint of apology, let alone any recognition that he had done something wrong. But then, in his letter to Zahawi, the prime minister could not bring himself to ascribe to Zahawi, in terms, the serious breach of the ministerial code unearthed by the ethics adviser. It was just “there has been a serious breach”. Never apologise, never explain. Remind me, who said that?
Valerie Bayliss
Sheffield

• Nadhim Zahawi writes to the prime minister about his fleeing to Great Britain as a child: “I believe that in no other country on earth would my story be possible.” Fortunately for him, neither Suella Braverman nor Priti Patel were home secretary at the time.
Henry Spyvee
Guildford, Surrey

• The inequalities and solutions raised by Polly Toynbee need to be brought to the attention of the wider public (Zahawi, Sunak, Johnson: this is rule by plutocrat. It’s like a stench that’s worse each day, 23 January). I suggest a campaign touring the country with a big red bus plastered with this slogan: “We give £350m a week to the richest people in this country. Why not spend it on the NHS instead?”
Terry Fletcher
Cramlington, Northumberland

• Nadhim Zahawi would have done well to emulate the actions of one of his predecessors as MP for Stratford-on-Avon, John Profumo, who promptly resigned when his affair with Christine Keeler became public. Profumo redeemed his reputation by devoting the rest of his life to charitable causes. Any chance that Zahawi will do the same?
Catherine Dyer
Salisbury

• May I congratulate Maggie Lyons (Letters, 27 January) on the outcome of her recent bet about Nadhim Zahawi. Could she be persuaded, perhaps, to make another 50p bet with her husband that Dominic Raab will be gone by the end of this week?
Simon Crombie
Wokingham, Berkshire

• No one should criticise Nadhim Zahawi for his careless error unless they can say, hand on heart, that they have never forgotten to pay £3m of tax that they owe.
Mike Cashman
Milton Keynes

• So Nadhim Zahawi finds himself out in the cold on the backbenches. Not to worry, he can always warm up in his horses’ stables.
Ruth Coomber
Needham Market, Suffolk

• It is rare for a Tory minister to wear a beard, so among other things Nadhim Zahawi has now managed to bring the hirsute into disrepute.
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • 'Lucky to have him': Australia mourns refugee guard killed in Bondi attack

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed as a hero Pakistani security guard Faraz Tahir, killed in Sydney while trying to stop a mass stabbing attack, in remarks delivered on Friday at a funeral attended by hundreds. Tahir, who would have turned 31 on Wednesday, was on the first day of his job when he became one of six killed this month during the stabbing spree at a busy mall in beachside Bondi. "Running toward danger, to protect people he had never even met, without doubt, he helped save lives that day," Albanese said.

  • Police Seeking Information on Bike Riders Who Snatched Phone From Man's Hand

    Police in Manchester are looking for witnesses and victims to a series of mobile phone thefts in the city, with suspects often seen riding electric bikes.Footage from April 11 shows an incident where a man’s phone was snatched from his hand by one of two suspects on a bike shortly after 7 pm local time.Police said they had received several reports from Ancoats and the city centre on this date.A 13-year-old boy and 37-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the thefts. Police are seeking information on a further two suspects.Thanks to police work on the case, four people have been reunited with their stolen devices, mainly iPhones, police said. Credit: Greater Manchester Police via Storyful

  • Street crime crackdown packs Paris-area prison ahead of Olympics

    A police crackdown that aims to clear a poor suburb of petty crime and street vendors before the Paris 2024 Olympics is putting pressure on an overcrowded prison operating at almost double its capacity. Villepinte is a grey, concrete detention centre in the suburb of Seine-Saint Denis. It lies 2.5 km from the Paris Arena Nord, set to host boxing and fencing competitions during the Games beginning on July 26.It is among the most crowded prisons in France. Opened in 1991, Villepinte takes prisoner

  • GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks face worst month since September, yen swings after BoJ

    Global stocks were teetering on Friday towards their worst month since September, although futures markets predicted strong tech earnings would spark a Wall Street relief rally later in the day that would help traders recoup some losses. Japan's yen was volatile, hitting a fresh 34-year low after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept monetary policy loose at its latest policy meeting, then rebounding.

  • Amy Winehouse fans flock to Camden after biopic release - despite mixed reviews

    Amy Winehouse fans are flocking to visit the star's favourite haunts following the release of a new biopic - despite mixed reviews. The late singer is heavily associated with the London borough of Camden, which also served as a backdrop to many scenes in the recently released 'Back to Black'. The film has come in for criticism, with some claiming it goes too easy on Winehouse's dad Mitch and her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Fans revealed on Wednesday they had travelled from all over to visit Camden - with one couple having journeyed more than 700 miles from Barcelona. Scarlet Elias, 43, came from the Spanish city with her partner Albert to see a statue of the singer - but says she refuses to watch the film.

  • Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned

    The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that the judge who presided over Weinstein's trial prejudiced him by allowing three women to testify about their alleged encounters with the producer when their accusations did not form the basis of the case. At the time, those women were called as witnesses because state law allowed testimony about "prior bad acts" to prove a pattern of behaviour. "Under our system of justice, the accused has a right to be held to account only for the crime charged.", Judge Jenny Rivera, Associated Press.

  • What is the conflict between Rwanda and Congo?

    Everything you need to know about the difference between Rwanda and Congo - and the war between them

  • Millie Bright interview: 'It's nice to be underdogs, but we must find another level to get to the final'

    The Blues take a narrow first-leg advantage into the home decider on Saturday

  • Blowing Dust Reduces Visibility in Red River Valley

    The National Weather Service (NWS) alerted travelers to poor visibility as blowing dust hit the northern end of Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Thursday, April 25.“If traveling in open country this afternoon, be prepared for sudden reductions in visibility,” the NWS wrote. Credit: NWS Grand Forks via Storyful

  • FOREX-Japan's yen rises sharply after hitting 34-year low against dollar

    The yen rose sharply after hitting its weakest level in three decades against the U.S. dollar with markets on edge about possible intervention after the Bank of Japan kept interest rates on hold on Friday. The sudden jump left traders on high alert for signs of intervention. After a two-day meeting, the Bank of Japan left its short-term interest rate target at 0-0.1% on Friday and made small upward adjustments in its inflation forecast.

  • Japan announces plans to launch upgraded observation satellites on new flagship rocket's 3rd flight

    Japan’s space agency announced Friday a plan to launch a major upgrade to its satellite imaging system, as a new flagship rocket is put to the test for a third time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that an H3 rocket will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a southwestern Japanese island, early afternoon on June 30, with a launch window that runs through the end of July. The rocket will be carrying an Advanced Land Observation Satellite, ALOS-4, tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking, as well as with monitoring military activity, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Defense Ministry.

  • Trending tickers: Alphabet, Intel, Microsoft, Amazon and Anglo American

    The latest investor updates on stocks that are trending on Friday.

  • Your expert guide to melanomas and how to spot them

    If you have noticed a lingering spot somewhere on your skin, it would be wise not to dismiss it, especially if there’s something unusual about its appearance. Over the past three decades, rates of melanoma skin cancer have more than doubled in the UK, a trend that looks set to continue.

  • 3:35 a.m. Friday Update: Storms continue to move across Oklahoma

    3:35 a.m. Friday Update: Storms continue to move across Oklahoma

  • Two men charged in Channel deaths investigation

    Five migrants, including a child, were killed in a crush on board a boat crossing the Channel.

  • World's first skin cancer drug being tested in UK patients

    The world's first personalised mRNA cancer jab for melanoma is being tested on British patients. Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage, joined a clinical trial after being diagnosed with the potentially deadly form of skin cancer. Dr Heather Shaw, an investigator for the trial, said the jab had the potential to cure people with melanoma and is being tested in other cancers. “This is one of the most exciting things we’ve seen in a really long time," she said. .

  • Lifeboat found floating in sea has been transformed into glamping Yellow Submarine

    A lifeboat found floating in the sea after being stolen by pirates has been turned into a 'Yellow Submarine' for glamping. Andy Barton, 58, transformed the discarded vessel into camp-site accommodation. It has a fully-equipped kitchen featuring a fridge, hob, sink, double-bed, single bunk-bed, a dining area with a sofa and an outdoor BBQ and firepit. The sub was originally used on a big tanker ship named 'Northsea Pioneer' until it was attacked by Somali Pirates off the East African coast in 2019. The escaping pirates stole the vessel and years year the lifeboat was discovered drifting between the UK and northern Spain. Some friends of Andy's found the lifeboat off the coast of Portsmouth - and they held onto it until Andy decided to turn it into a fake submarine.

  • China President Xi welcomes US Secretary of State Blinken ahead of meeting in Beijing

    The United States and China butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues on Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met senior Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping. Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months even as differences have grown.

  • Reading terror attack families ‘trusting’ inquest judge to provide answers

    Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah fatally stabbed James Furlong, 36, Dr David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, in June 2020.

  • Haas confirm Nico Hulkenberg exit ahead of Audi switch

    The German driver joined Haas last year but will leave the American-owned team at the end of the season