Bumper £7m public sector payday for PM’s wife
AN IT firm part-owned by Rishi Sunak’s wife received £7million in public sector invoices last year.
Akshata Murty holds a £619million stake in Indian tech giant Infosys, co-founded by her father.
The firm received an almost 50 per cent increase in its public sector work last year, up from £4.7million in 2022.
Invoices included more than £250,000 from the Government Property Agency, £27,000 from the Care Quality Commission and £2million from the London borough of brent.
The deals included £1.5million for “information communication technology”, £1.1million for “consultant fees”, as well as £868,000 for “IT consultancy” across various levels of Government.
The figures were compiled by data provider Tussell for LBC.
It comes after it was revealed Infosys is set to net millions more in Government cash as it is on an “approved list” of suppliers for deals worth more than £750million.
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth said the awarding of Infosys contracts must be fully explained.
He added: “Taxpayers will want serious questions answered as to how this firm appears to be cashing in.”
The Cabinet Office said: “All contracts are awarded following an open and fair process, and decisions are rigorously scrutinised. Ministers do not take part in the evaluation or selection.”
Murty last month gave her shares in childcare firm Koru Kids, which got a budget boost, to charity.
The PM was found to have “inadvertently” broken the MPs’ code of conduct by not declaring his wife’s stake in the firm.
Last week Sunak published his tax return, showing he made more than £2.2million in the last financial year.