LONDON – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being investigated by parliament’s standards watchdog over whether he properly declared his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company which stands to benefit from new government policy.
Parliament’s Commissioner for Standards began the investigation over a “declaration of interest” on April 13, according to a list of open inquiries on its website on Monday. Opposition parties had raised questions over media reports that Mr Sunak’s wife Akshata Murthy was a shareholder in a company set to benefit from support for the childcare sector announced in March’s budget.
“We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest,” Mr Sunak’s spokesperson said, confirming the investigation was linked to the childcare firm. The investigation is an embarrassment for Mr Sunak, who came into office in October promising to lead a government with integrity “at every level” as he sought to revive his party’s fortunes ahead of a national election expected next year.and owns about 0.9 per cent of the company, worth nearly $600 million based on Monday’s share price.