Zahawi will survive beyond PMQs and tax matters are ‘private’, insists Cleverly

Nadhim Zahawi will survive as Conservative Party chairman beyond Wednesday, James Cleverly said as he insisted tax affairs are “private matters”.

But critics said Mr Zahawi’s political survival is “difficult” after he admitted paying a settlement to HM Revenue & Customs following a tax error related to a shareholding in YouGov.

Pressure is also growing on Rishi Sunak to reveal what he knew about the unpaid taxes and when, with Labour demanding that No 10 publish any warnings received.

The embattled Tory chair released a statement on Saturday to “address some of the confusion about my finances”, but it raised further questions, including whether Mr Zahawi negotiated the dispute while he was serving as chancellor.

He did not disclose the size of the settlement – reported to be an estimated £4.8 million including a 30% penalty – or confirm whether he paid a fine.

Mr Cleverly denied any knowledge of the details when pressed during media appearances on Sunday.

Asked whether Mr Zahawi should reveal this information, the Foreign Secretary said: “People’s taxes are private matters. I know that as politicians we, quite rightly, are expected to have a higher level of disclosure than perhaps other people might do.

“Nadhim has issued a statement where he has admitted that he made a careless error, that this is now resolved.”

Mr Cleverly also evaded questions on what Mr Sunak knew when he appointed Mr Zahawi as party chairman.

Reports have suggested that Cabinet Office officials had alerted then-prime minister Boris Johnson to the tax dispute before he appointed Mr Zahawi as chancellor.

The Sun on Sunday reported that Mr Zahawi had been due to receive a knighthood in the new year’s honours list but was later blocked due to concerns over his tax situation.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner called for the release of all correspondence with No 10 prior to Mr Zahawi’s various appointments, and for clarity over whether he was chancellor at the time of the settlement.

“The public have a right to know if warnings were ignored and a man deemed unfit for a knighthood was repeatedly appointed to Cabinet.”

Mr Cleverly said he was unable to answer questions on Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs because he was carrying out his duties as Foreign Secretary during the week and then “having a bit of a rest and doing some shopping”.

Asked whether Mr Zahawi will survive in his role until Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Cleverly said: “What else am I going to say other than yes, because he’s a very, very effective minister.”

Pat McFadden said: “It’s difficult for Mr Zahawi because the problem with this is what we’re being asked to believe.

“We’re being asked to believe that he had this asset worth £27 million that he didn’t really know was his, and therefore didn’t really know tax was due on it.

“He was using pretty heavy legal letters to get people to keep quiet about this… threatening legal action, and then we’re asked to believe that it’s all just carelessness. That doesn’t quite fit.”

He denied allegations that he avoided tax by using an offshore company registered in Gibraltar to hold shares in the YouGov polling company he co-founded.

In his statement on Saturday, Mr Zahawi said HMRC “disagreed about the exact allocation” of founder shares held by his father.

“They concluded that this was a ‘careless and not deliberate’ error,” he said.

“So that I could focus on my life as a public servant, I chose to settle the matter and pay what they said was due.”