London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday fired one of his Cabinet ministers and Conservative Party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, after he was found to have been in “serious breach” of the Ministerial Code on how he handled his personal tax affairs.

Zahawi, who was a minister without portfolio as the chief of the governing Tory party, had faced fierce pressure in recent days to quit over questions about his finances after it emerged that he had agreed a 4.8 million pounds penalty settlement with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department.

Sunak had ordered an independent investigation into the 55-year-old Iraq-born former Chancellor’s tax affairs amid growing Opposition demands for him to sack Zahawi.

Press Trust of India