A former Conservative Party chairman has called on Nadhim Zahawi to “step aside” whilst he is investigated over his tax affairs.
Sir Jake Berry said on BBC Question Time that standing down for the period of the investigation would be the “right thing to do now.”
“The government needs to find a mechanism for ministers and MPs who are under investigation in this way to step aside, to clear their name and then to come back into government if that is appropriate”, Sir Berry added.
This week’s episode was dominated by a discussion over Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs, with one local GP questioning how the public can “trust” the Conservative Party after yet another scandal.
“Trust is such a vital component of my profession…I just really struggle to understand how we can trust the Conservative Party”, the member of the public put to Sir Berry.
Meanwhile, Mr Zahawi has allowed HMRC to pass his tax details to the prime minister’s ethics advisor.
A source close to Mr Zahawi said that he has now given HMRC permission to speak to Sir Laurie Magnus who is investigating whether his actions represented a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.
