Starmer accuses Sunak of ‘hypocrisy’ as Downing Street backs chancellor
Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “hypocrisy” over his tax arrangements as Downing Street backed the chancellor.
The Labour leader also demanded other ministers come clean over their own tax arrangements after Sajid Javid admitted holding nondom status before he became an MP.
His comments came on a day Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister retains full confidence in Mr Sunak.
Speaking to reporters in Sunderland, Sir Keir said: “While he insists on making working people pay more taxes, the Prime Minister owes it to the public to confirm his Cabinet are not finding ways to pay less.
“The scale of the Chancellor’s hypocrisy is difficult to swallow against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis. We now know that the Health
Secretary–theformerchancellor–alsoknowshiswayaround a tax-reduction scheme.
“To appoint one chancellor with suspect tax affairs is sloppy, to appoint two is a habit. It really is one rule for them, and another for everyone else.”
The former head of the CPS also claimed there were "all sorts of issues" in relation to the ministerial code, and questioned the tax arrangements of others in government.
He said: “That’s why it’s so important I think for the Prime Minister to give that assurance: have other members of your Cabinet Prime
Minister been making use of schemes to reduce their own taxation?
“The Chancellor should put those answers into the public domain so we have transparency and accountability.
“What we can’t have is a Chancellor who is telling millions of people that they have to pay more tax, there is no alternative, whilst at the same time his own family appear to have been using a scheme to keep their own tax down.”
Earlier the Prime Minister agreed to a request from the Chancellor to launch an investigation into the Chancellor’s ministerial interests.
Asked if Mr Johnson continues to have full confidence in the Chancellor, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “He does.”
She also confirmed Mr Johnson had accepted Mr Sunak’s request for an investigation by Lord Geidt, the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministerial interests.