Rishi ‘blown chance of being PM' over tax row

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak has blown his chances of succeeding Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, a former cabinet minister said yesterday, in the wake of revelations about his wife’s tax arrangements.

- David Williamson

Mr Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, has now said she will pay UK taxes on her overseas income, stating that she does not want her “tax status to be a distraction” for her husband.

She is reported to own £700million in shares of IT company Infosys, founded by her father, and to have received £11.6million in dividend payments last year.

Labour says her non-domiciled status – meaning she would not have to pay UK tax at a rate of 39.35 per cent on dividends – “could have saved the Sunak household tens of millions of pounds”.

Opposition parties are now calling on Ms Murty, who remains an Indian citizen, to pay back UK taxes she has saved on her foreign income.