Nearly two-thirds of voters (62 percent) think so Conservative party chairman Nadhim Zahawi should leave government after being caught up in a major tax scandal according to exclusive polls for Express.co.uk by Techne UK. The findings put further strain on the senior member of government, who last year became the first finance minister to be investigated for his tax affairs while serving in the treasury.
The findings of the survey of 1,624 voters conducted this week come after Techne UK’s tracker survey for Express.co.uk revealed that even Conservatives are more likely to support calls to quit, with 44 per cent saying they should go and 42 percent support him. at the government.
But overall, less than one in five voters (19 per cent) support Mr Zahawi, who was a millionaire businessman who founded polling agency YouGov before becoming MP for Stratford upon Avon and then moving up the ministerial ladder.
Boris Johnson appointed him as vaccines minister, where he helped roll out the vaccine program that ended the Covid pandemic before promoting him to education minister.
After Rishi Sunak stepped down, Mr Johnson appointed Mr Zahawi as finance minister in the final weeks of his administration, when HMRC was also revealed to be investigating his tax affairs.
Despite the clouds hanging over him, Zahawi remained in Liz Truss’ government and was subsequently appointed chairman by the latter prime minister.
The row concerns a tax bill over the sale of shares in YouGov – the polling agency he founded – worth an estimated £27m and held by Balshore Investments, a company registered off the coast of Gibraltar.
Zahawi claimed that HMRC concluded that there had been a “careless and unintentional” error in the way the founders’ shares, which he allocated to his father, had been treated.
He has also insisted that he is “confident” that he “acted correctly all along”.
But a different light was shed on the matter by HMRC chief executive Jim Harra.
He told MPs on the powerful public accounts committee that he did not believe it was “an innocent mistake”.
Mr Harra said: “I am not commenting on any particular person’s affairs, but carelessness is a concept in tax law.
“It may be relevant to how many years back we can estimate and it may be relevant to whether someone will be fined and if so, what fine they will receive for an error in their tax affairs.
READ MORE: Tories in chaos when Jake calls Berry last for Zahawi to leave
Sir Jake said: “Even though he is a friend of mine, I will not allow that to detract from a position I have consistently expressed on all such issues.
“The government must find a mechanism whereby ministers and MPs under investigation in this way can step aside to clear their names and then re-enter government when appropriate.
“I think Nadhim, the great person he is, would be the right thing to do now.
“I applaud Rishi Sunak for swiftly forwarding this investigation which we learned this week will be completed in approximately 10 days.
“But I find it untenable that a minister remains at his post while this investigation is ongoing, including other ministers who are also under investigation.
“Not least because we’ve learned that if you want the public to have faith and trust in these investigations, one of the most important things is for that person to step back from power because it takes away the perception that they have any influence or the ability to change the investigation because they remain in that position of power.”
The scandal has hit the Tories in the polls, with the Techne UK tracker for Express.co.uk revealing that Labor’s lead has increased by two points this week to 21 per cent.