Rishi Sunak under investigation over allegedly failing to declare an interest

Rishi Sunak has been put under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare an interest. An update to the parliamentary website shows the investigation was opened on Thursday (April 13) and relates to paragraph six of the House of Commons code of conduct.

“Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders,” the section reads.

Although the commissioner has a policy of not making the specific allegations into an investigation available to the public it is understood to concern shares his wife Akshata Murthy holds in a childcare agency that will be boosted by the Budget.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”

The commissioner decides whether an MP has broken the rules or not after an inquiry.