London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 08, 2025

Rishi Sunak under pressure at PMQs over sleaze and bullying claims

Rishi Sunak under pressure at PMQs over sleaze and bullying claims

Starmer said Sunak ‘raised more questions than answers’ when he announced Zahawi had been sacked as Tory party chairman
Rishi Sunak was grilled over his knowledge of his Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs and the bullying allegations against his Deputy Prime Minister at PMQs on Wednesday.

Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Sunak “raised more questions than answers” when he announced Mr Zahawi had been sacked as Tory party chairman at the weekend for breaking the ministerial code.

The former Chancellor failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs, resulting in him paying some £5million including a penalty.

Opening Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir said: “When the Prime Minister briefly emerged form his hibernation at the weekend he raised more questions than answers.

“So in the interest of integrity and accountability, can he set the record straight?

“Did his now former chair tell Government officials that he was under investigation by the taxman before or after the Prime Minister appointed him?”

Mr Sunak appointed an independent adviser to investigate Mr Zahawi and said when he set out his findings he "took action".

But Sir Keir responded: "Oh come on. Anyone picking up a newspaper in July last year would have known that HMRC and the National Crime Agency were investigating months before he appointed him [chairman of the Tory party]."

Mr Sunak replied: "As I have said before at the despatch box, the usual appointments process was followed with respect to the minister.

"No issues were raised with me at the time of his appointment, but as the independent adviser's report makes clear, there was a serious breach of the ministerial code and that is why I took decisive action on receipt of that report."

He added: "I take action when these things happen".

The Labour leader also pressed the Prime Minister on bullying allegations against Dominic Raab.

Mr Raab, who is also the Justice Secretary, is facing multiple complaints from civil servants who have worked with him across a range of government departments.

Several civil servants are believed to have given evidence to the inquiry into his behaviour.

Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons: "So in relation to [Mr Zahawi], his defence is: nobody told me, I didn't know, I didn't ask any questions.

“Is the Prime Minister now also going to claim that he's the only person completely unaware of serious allegations of bullying against the Deputy Prime Minister before he appointed him?"

Mr Sunak replied: "The honourable gentleman ask these questions about what was known and I followed due process, I appointed an independent adviser as soon as I was made aware of new information."

Raising the case of Labour MP for Canterbury Rosie Duffield, who has accused her party of sexism after he spoke out on trans issues, the PM added: "But if he is so concerned about what people are saying and so concerned about behaviour in public life, then recently one of his own MPs was forced to speak out because being in his party had reminded her of being in an abusive relationship.

"And then his own office was caught undermining her.

"He ought to be supporting her and her colleagues, but if he can't be trusted to stand up for the women in his party, he can't be trusted to stand up for Britain."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×