PM has 'full confidence' in Sunak as Chancellor refers himself to sleaze watchdog

11 April 2022, 12:35 | Updated: 11 April 2022, 13:08

Boris Johnson is said to have 'full confidence' in the Chancellor amid the fallout over his wife's tax status
Boris Johnson is said to have 'full confidence' in the Chancellor amid the fallout over his wife's tax status. Picture: Alamy

By Asher McShane

Downing Street has said the Prime Minister retains full confidence in Rishi Sunak amid the fallout over his wife's tax status.

Asked if Boris Johnson continues to have "full confidence in the Chancellor", a No 10 spokeswoman said today: "He does."

The spokeswoman said the PM had accepted Mr Sunak's request for an investigation by Lord Geidt, Mr Johnson's independent adviser on ministerial interests.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Sunak asked for Lord Geidt to review all his declarations of interest since he became a minister in 2018 to ensure they had been properly stated.

Read more: Wes Streeting blasts Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid over tax affairs

Read more: Sunak fights for job after referring himself to sleaze watchdog over wife's tax affairs

Asked if Lord Geidt had begun his investigation into the Chancellor, the spokeswoman said: "I'm not aware of whether Lord Geidt himself has begun his work.

"But I can confirm that the Prime Minister has agreed to the request from the Chancellor for Lord Geidt to undertake this work."

New polling released today shows more Britons now think Mr Sunak is doing a bad job as Chancellor, rather than a good job.

37% now think the Chancellor is doing a bad job and 30% say good job, compared to before the Spring Statement where a similar pol in early March showed 34% saying good job and 25% saying bad job.

More than twice as many Brits think he is doing a bad job (50%) rather than a good job (21%) at tackling the cost of living crisis in Britain, according to polling by Ipsos.

On LBC today, Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: "So the idea that the Chancellor, who has made families in this country around £2,600 a year worse off, has been managing his tax affairs and managing his family's tax affairs in a way that means he pays less tax in this country, I think will stick in the throats of lots of people."

He added: "I think the question we've got to ask ourselves is, is this fair, is this right and what does he need to do about it?

"Because I don't think it's enough that the Chancellor has just referred himself to the Prime Minister's adviser in the hope that he will tell us what we already know, which he hasn't broken any laws.

"I think what we want to hear from the Chancellor is that he will fix loopholes that give very, very wealthy people like him a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to paying their fair share of tax in this country, at the same time that he's clobbering working people with huge tax rises and leaving some of the very poorest in our people much, much worse off.

"What kind of country have we become when there are more foodbanks in our country than there are McDonald's?"

Rishi Sunak visited the Treasury's base in Darlington on Monday in a bid to show he was getting on with the job of being Chancellor despite the storm around his family's financial arrangements.

The Chancellor visited the Darlington Economic Campus after requesting an investigation into his own conduct by Boris Johnson's independent adviser on ministerial interests Lord Geidt.

Yesterday the chancellor asked Boris Johnson to refer him to the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests to determine whether all his financial interests were "properly declared".

The Minister said his "overriding concern" was to retain public confidence in his actions and claims he had "always followed the rules" and hoped the review would "provide further clarity".

Mr Sunak also ordered a Whitehall inquiry into who leaked details of his wife Ms Murty's tax status to the media triggering a furious political outcry.

The probe into his financial declarations, will be led by Lord Geidt, who previously cleared Mr Johnson of wrongdoing over the £112,000 refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

An Israel army vehicle on the move in Gaza

Netanyahu postpones vote on ceasefire blaming Hamas for last-minute dispute

A couple, their two daughters and 11-month-old baby have not been heard from since going missing in Edinburgh on Thursday.

Urgent search underway for missing family of five as parents vanished with baby and two young kids

Blinken was repeatedly interrupted during his speech on Thursday, with one journalist calling him a criminal.

Blinken heckled in final speech as he says he is ‘confident’ Gaza ceasefire will be implemented amid Israeli delay

Cameron Finnigan

Neo-Nazi satanist jailed for six years for encouraging girls to kill themselves and possessing terror material

Exclusive
The Tories are looking into 'means testing the triple lock'

Tories are looking into 'means testing triple lock', Kemi Badenoch tells LBC

Rudy Giuliani gesturing as he speaks to reporters

Giuliani reaches deal with defamed election workers to keep his home in Florida

Sacking Rachel Reeves 'wouldn't be the right thing for the country', Jeremy Hunt told LBC

Sacking Rachel Reeves 'wouldn't be the right thing for the country', says Jeremy Hunt - as former Chancellor pushes for March Budget

Exclusive
Elon Musk says Jess Phillips can

'Jess Phillips can fight her own battles,' claims Kemi Badenoch as Tory leader weighs in on grooming gangs row

Conan O’Brien

Conan O’Brien to receive Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy

Rudy Giuliani gesturing as he speaks to reporters

Giuliani reaches settlement over home and baseball rings in defamation case

A composite photo of Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and Ryan Reynolds

It Ends With Us director Baldoni sues star Lively and Reynolds for defamation

Exclusive
c

'It's like a cancer destroying our young people': Lawyer calls to 'break' knife crime culture after Elianne Andam stabbing

American film director David Lynch has died at the age of 78

Twin Peaks director David Lynch dead at 78

Linda Nolan is evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother House at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.

Linda Nolan's ‘heartbroken’ sister reveals singer's unexpected cause of death following cancer battle

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) papers, letters, documents

HMRC staff announce strike on eve of self-assessment tax deadline in pay dispute

Paul Danan was found dead on the day he was due to appear in court

Police issue Paul Danan update after Love Island and Hollyoaks star dies aged 46