UK PM Sunak breached parliament's code of conduct inadvertently – watchdog

The standards watchdog of the UK Parliament has stated that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unintentionally failed to properly declare his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company, which could have benefited from a new government policy. The investigation by Parliament’s Commissioner for Standards was initiated in April after opposition parties questioned reports that Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, held shares in a company expected to reap benefits through support for the childcare sector.

The commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, investigates potential breaches of the House of Commons code of conduct. Greenberg announced the findings of the investigation and noted that Sunak should have declared the shareholding while under scrutiny by a committee of senior lawmakers. However, Greenberg believed that Sunak unintentionally confused the rules for registering and declaring interests.

Greenberg stated, “After evaluating the available information, I have determined that the violation of the code appears to have been unintentional. I confirm that the matter is now closed.”

Although Greenberg possesses the authority to refer rule-breaking lawmakers to a committee that can suspend or expel them from parliament, he decided to conclude the inquiry using a rectification procedure. Rectification procedures typically involve providing guidance to the lawmaker, requesting an apology, or imposing corrections on the register of members’ financial interests.

In a letter addressed to Greenberg, Sunak expressed his apologies for his confusion over the terminology of registration and declaration. He stated, “I am pleased that this matter will now be concluded through rectification.”

Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Jonathan Oatis