UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has been the subject of an investigation by the standards watchdog in Parliament for possibly failing to declare an interest when first asked about it, reported news agency Reuters. The investigation led by Daniel Greenberg, the standards commissioner, began on Thursday and cited paragraph 6 of the MPs' code of conduct, which specifies how MPs should act.
Parliament's standards watchdog is looking into whether British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak correctly disclosed his wife Akshata Murty's shareholding in a childcare company that stands to benefit from the new government policy.
A list of open inquiries that was posted on the website of Parliament's Commissioner for Standards on Monday indicates that the investigation into a "declaration of interest" was initiated on April 13.
Media reported that Sunak's wife Akshata Murty was a shareholder in a company that would benefit from the support for the childcare sector that was announced in the budget in March had prompted opposition parties to raise questions.
Sunak's spokesperson stated, "We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest," confirming that the childcare company was involved in the investigation.
The investigation is embarrassing for Sunak, who took office in October and said he would lead a government with integrity "at every level" in order to boost his party's fortunes ahead of a national election next year.
Sunak and Murty are the wealthiest individuals to ever live on 10 Downing Street. Based on Monday's share price, Murty, the daughter of one of Infosys' founders, owns approximately 0.9 percent of the company, which is worth nearly $600 million.
While Sunak was finance minister, the couple came under fire for Murty's "non-domiciled" tax status, which meant that she did not pay tax in Britain on her earnings abroad. She consequently surrendered the status and said she would pay British tax on her global income.
The commissioner, who gave no subtleties of the investigation, is liable for the House of Commons code of conduct and investigates any alleged breaches.
Members of parliament are required to disclose information about financial interests that could reasonably be thought to influence their work in parliament in accordance with the code of conduct.
The Commissioner has the option of either referring Sunak to a committee with the authority to suspend or expel him from parliament or requiring him to apologise and outline steps to prevent future errors if the investigation reveals a breach.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, stated that Sunak should publish an updated register of ministerial interests prior to the upcoming municipal elections. She added that failing to do so would have created "a transparency black hole which is enabling the prime minister and those he has appointed to dodge proper scrutiny of their affairs."