Zahawi can't survive tax row, warn Tories

⬣ Ex-ministers say postion as chair now 'untenable' ⬣ Duncan Smith calls for full details to be revealed Hunt for shooter as 10 killed near LA

Nadhim Zahawi’s position as Conservative Party chair is “untenable”, Tory MPs warned last night despite the government’s attempts to draw a line under the questions surrounding his tax affairs. The ex-chancellor has said that he had paid the HMRC a settlement over a “careless” error, but failed to clear up a series of questions about the investigation first revealed by The Independent in July.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly claimed yesterday that his colleague had been “open” about his taxes, but evaded questions on the row – insisting that he was “not an investigative journalist” and had been too busy shopping after an overseas trip to know any more details. However, former party leader Iain Duncan Smith said Mr Zahawi must share more information and “get it all out now”, while other senior Tories warned it was almost impossible for the party chair to continue. One former Tory minister told The Independent that Mr Zahawi’s position was now “untenable” after his admission that there had been a dispute with HMRC. They said he should never have become chancellor if No 10 and the Cabinet Office had known he was “careless” with his tax affairs. Another said: “Carelessness with finances wouldn’t have been a recommendation for the post of chancellor, had we known about it. It’s hard to see how it can be acceptable for the post of chairman.”