Sunak under pressure over when he knew about Nadhim Zahawi tax inquiry

PM’s appointment of Tory chair to cabinet under scrutiny after he launches ethics adviser investigation

Rishi Sunak has instructed his ethics adviser to investigate the tax affairs of the Conservative party chair, Nadhim Zahawi, but faces growing pressure over whether he knew about the HMRC inquiry when he appointed Zahawi to his cabinet.

The prime minister admitted there were “questions that need answering” after suggestions that Zahawi was forced to pay a fine and millions of pounds in unpaid taxes to HMRC after an investigation while he was Boris Johnson’s chancellor.