Rishi Sunak in violation of regulations for not disclosing his wife’s stake in childcare agency

According to Mr Greenberg, it was necessary for Ms Murty’s shareholding to be declared during the Liaison Committee meeting on March 28, 2023, in accordance with the Code. The standards commissioner found that Mr Sunak had confused the concept of registration for ministers with the concept of interest declaration outlined in the MP code of conduct. Therefore, the commissioner concluded that Mr Sunak’s failure to declare Ms Murty’s shareholding was inadvertent. However, Mr Sunak was aware of the interest when he sent a letter to Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, the chair of the Liaison Committee, on April 4, 2023, and still failed to declare or correct the record at that time.

Mr Sunak, in a letter to the commissioner, admitted that he had a duty to write to the Committee after his appearance to correct the record if a similar scenario were to arise in the future. He also apologized for the confusion in his letter to the Liaison Committee on April 4, 2023, which mixed the terminology of registration and declaration.

‘The system needs a full overhaul’

Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, believes that this incident highlights the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the system. She criticized Rishi Sunak for disregarding a key recommendation from Parliament’s Standards Committee to tighten rules regarding interest and hospitality declarations, a recommendation that the Labour party supported. Rayner pledges that Labour will strengthen the system, increase transparency, and establish an independent Ethics and Integrity Commission to restore standards and integrity to public life.

In response, the Prime Minister’s press secretary stated that the commissioner’s investigation into the Prime Minister’s declaration of interest has been resolved through rectification, emphasizing the Prime Minister’s commitment to registering and declaring all relevant interests.