According to media reports, 55-year-old Zahawi had paid the national tax authority a seven-figure sum to settle a dispute over his tax affairs. Zahawi also admitted this, but without naming a specific amount. The ex-minister has been accused of using an offshore company in Gibraltar as part of his role as a shareholder in polling firm YouGov, which he co-founded. Zahawi was most recently a member of the cabinet as a minister without portfolio.
In his letter to Zahawi, Sunak wrote that he took office as prime minister to lead a government that stands for integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. An investigation he ordered revealed that Zahawi was in “a serious breach of ministerial rules”. According to the investigation, Zahawi made misleading statements about his conflict with the tax authorities. He recently said he had settled the dispute with the tax authorities.
“Return of the Tory Swamp”
The move is another setback for the Conservative Party, which is struggling with low poll numbers ahead of next year’s general election. “The Return of the Tory Swamp” was the headline in Spectator magazine, considered the Conservative newspaper.
Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer slandered his opponent Sunak: “Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?” It is not the first minister to leave the cabinet in the first hundred days of Sunak’s government: Former Minister of State Gavin Williamson has resigned over allegations of bullying.
Third prime minister within a year
Sunak should have brought a breath of fresh air and stability to the government, but the Tories do not seem to be able to recover from the trials and tribulations of recent years. “Integrity, professionalism and accountability at all levels,” announced Sunak when he took office on October 25, as the third prime minister within a year. The influential Minister for Building, Michael Gove, promised at the time that the government was determined “to be as boring as possible”.
First, Sunak managed to calm the financial markets, which had been plunged into chaos by the erratic economic policies of his immediate predecessor, Liz Truss. Among other things, he promised to reduce debt and reduce waiting times in health care. So far, Sunak is said to have brought at least partial calm to his own ranks, but the population has been simmering for months.
Strikes and dissatisfaction among the population
Earlier this year, reports that 300 to 500 people were dying a week in the UK due to untimely or inadequate care during emergencies made headlines. Vice-President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Ian Higginson dismissed the suggestion that the difficulties were temporary: “When you’re there you know it’s a long-term problem, not just one short term.” The British Medical Association, a federation of nurses, echoed the alarming statements.
The government blamed the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the flu epidemic for the situation and promised to do more for hospitals. In his New Year’s greetings, Sunak named the NHS as one of his priorities
The NHS has suffered from tough austerity measures for years. Recently there have been several strikes by healthcare workers, including nursing staff and emergency services. They demand higher wages and better working conditions. Despite record inflation, the government is refusing to raise wages.
Expert sees “weak leader”
Political scientist Tim Bale from London’s renowned Queen Mary University told the dpa that Sunak had only prevented greater resistance within the party because he had given in to the demands of opponents within the party. “He has also shown himself to be a weak leader because he has not fired or even hired several scandal-ridden cabinet members,” Bale said before Zahawi’s sacking. There are allegations of bullying against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
Sunak presents itself as economically smart, Bale continued. However, his policy is not the reason for the slightly lower inflation or low economic growth. In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector, Sunak is demonstratively tough. But the sympathy of the voters is on the side of the striking nurses, and Sunak comes across as “mean” because of his toughness,” Bale said.
Heavy legacy from Johnson and Truss
However, Bale Sunak is not solely responsible for the poor state of the party, which is well behind the opposition Labor Party in polls. Sunak “inherited a terrible economic and political position from his predecessors and had no choice but to present himself as the one cleaning up the mess.” However, it is difficult to call scandal-ridden Boris Johnson and Truss responsible for the chaos, as they have numerous followers in Parliament.
For the party and Sunak himself, according to polls, things are currently “pretty bleak,” said Bale. On 1 February it was a hundred days since Sunak was unelected the new party leader by the Tory group and became Prime Minister a day later. The next general election is scheduled for 2024.
