Rishi ’ s at Fawlty
Comic Cleese says probing wife’s tax just ‘democratic’
by
Mikey Smith
WHITEHALL CORRESPONDENT
FAWLTY Towers star John Cleese has blasted Rishi Sunak for moaning about questions over his family’s financial interests.
The comedy legend, 82, now lives in a Caribbean tax haven and has previously bristled when quizzed on his own affairs.
The Chancellor this week branded scrutiny of wife Akshata Murty’s nondom status a “political hit job” and a bid to “smear” him. But Cleese said it was a normal part of democracy.
He said: “I think it’s significant the release of this information is seen by Sunak as a ‘hit job’, when some of us view it as a normal constitutional propriety. But maybe that’s a throwback to the days when we had a functioning democracy.”
In 2018, Cleese revealed he was moving to Nevis, which has no personal income tax. But asked about its tax advantages in 2019, he responded: “After 53 years of paying tax at the top rate, whether in the UK or the US, I feel that as I turn 80, I’m allowed to take a couple of years off.”
Cleese explained he had moved to the volcanic paradise as it has “excellent race relations, a very well educated population” and “no sign of political correctness”.
He said he was “fed up with the corruption in this country, and in particular with just how awful the newspapers are”, and complained he “can’t get through the British winter any more”.
Following the revelations on his wife’s non-dom status, it also emerged Mr Sunak had held on to his US Green Card for a year after becoming Chancellor.
Labour said Mr Sunak and his family potentially saved tens of millions in taxes. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh accused him of trying to “muddy the waters around this”.
Mrs Murty said on Friday she would voluntarily pay UK taxes on all foreign income so her financial affairs are not a “distraction” for her husband. But she will keep her non-dom status, which lets her use India’s zero-rate of inheritance tax on her family’s multimillion empire.