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30 January 2023

What is the point of Rishi Sunak?

The Prime Minister is a ditherer without purpose.

By Martin Fletcher

Rishi Sunak has finally sacked Nadhim Zahawi, but in a manner that can only be described as inept. 

The Prime Minister should have acted two weeks ago, when it became blindingly obvious that the Conservative Party chairman had avoided paying tax prior to becoming chancellor. Instead Sunak has suffered day after day of damning headlines about Tory sleaze. He has made himself look uninformed at best and deceitful at worst by telling parliament that Zahawi had “already addressed this matter in full” when he patently had not. He did Michael Gove no favours by announcing Zahawi’s dismissal on Sunday morning literally minutes before the Levelling Up Secretary was due to begin a round of the TV chat shows, and he has managed to eclipse his own announcement of an NHS recovery plan today.

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