Rishi Sunak news - live: Chancellor defends wife over non-dom tax status as Labour demands answers

Murty is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds

‘Keep families out of it’: Johnson dodges question on Sunak wife tax affairs

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his wife, billionaire Akshata Murty, over her tax-reducing non-domiciled status after Labour demanded answers whether he himself benefitted from her status.

Mr Sunak said his wife had done nothing wrong in choosing a financial arrangement that means she is not legally obliged to pay tax in Britain on foreign income.

He has blamed Labour for the “awful” smears against his family, saying: “She hasn’t broken any rules”.

This comes after the party demanded the Chancellor to answer 12 central questions about whether he personally benefited from Ms Murty’s tax arrangement.

Ms Murty, daughter of the Indian businessman Narayana Murthy, is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that unnamed allies of the Chancellor claimed the Prime Minister’s office was behind the leaks – an allegation No 10 and No 11 strongly denied.

A No 10 spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “It is categorically untrue that No 10 is behind the briefings.”

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor are united.”

[8 April 2022 10:57 · Sam Hancock]

Patel apologises ‘with frustration’ over Ukrainian refugee delays

Priti Patel has apologised “with frustration” over the time it is taking for Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK under visa schemes.

In a pre-recorded interview with the BBC, which will air on Friday, he denied that visa requirements and checks are slowing the process and causing delays.

She told the broadcaster: “We are an independent third country and we want to give people the status and security of coming to our country along with the warm welcome.

“Yes, we want to welcome people, we are welcoming people - over 40,000 visas being granted, over 10,000 people over a space of five weeks coming to the United Kingdom.”

The home secretary added: “We have to ensure that they are protected and safeguarded in the United Kingdom as well.”

[8 April 2022 11:05 · Sam Hancock]

UK sanctions Putin’s daughters in crackdown on ‘lavish lifestyles’

More on the UK’s mounting sanctions on Russia now. Boris Johnson’s government has added Russian president Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters to its sanctions list in a move as part of crackdown on the “lavish lifestyles” of the Kremlin’s inner circle.

The UK announced asset freezes on Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova on Friday – mirroring US sanctions imposed earlier this week, writes Adam Forrest.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was also targeting the daughter of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov with travel bans and asset freezes.

[8 April 2022 11:38 · Sam Hancock]

Government urged to ignore ‘internal squabbles’ and press on with energy strategy

A union leader is urging the government to press on with its energy strategy, warning that “squabbles” within the Conservative party could kick the plans into the long grass.

Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB, said on a visit to the new Hinkley Point nuclear site that the strategy looked like just another “Boris promise.” He was meeting workers on the project, which is creating thousands of jobs, PA reports.

“Nuclear is critical to our energy future and GMB has long told ministers there can be no net zero without new nuclear,” he said.

“It’s 24 hours since the primeminister was here at Hinkley Point C and the questions over this so-called energy plan won’t go away.”

And he added: “It’s already looking like this plan could be just another Boris promise - here today, gone tomorrow.”

[8 April 2022 11:48 · Sam Hancock]

Following my earlier post (10.57am), here’s our politics reporter Adam Forrest with more on Priti Patel’s apology “with frustration” over delays on getting Ukrainain refugees into the UK.

[8 April 2022 11:57 · Sam Hancock]

12,000 Ukrainians have arrived in UK under visa schemes – data

On that note, some 12,000 people have arrived in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes as of Tuesday, according to latest Home Office figures.

Around 10,800 people arrived under the Ukraine family scheme and 1,200 under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, provisional data published on the department’s website shows.

A total of 79,800 applications have been received for both schemes and 40,900 visas have been granted as of Thursday.

There were 43,600 applications for the sponsorship scheme and 12,500 visas have been issued.

Out of 36,300 applications for family visas, 28,500 have been granted.

[8 April 2022 12:13 · Sam Hancock]

‘They’ll be alright’: Starmer says Sunak family won’t be hit by cost-of-living crisis

Keir Starmer has said Rishi Sunak and his family will “probably be alright” in the cost-of-living crisis following revelations about the chancellor’s wife’s tax-reducing non-dom status.

Speaking about rising bills for families across the UK at the launch of his party’s local election campaign in Barnet, north London, the Labour leader said:

I was going to say every family is going to be paying more, but I think as we’ve seen in the last few days, I think the Sunaks will probably be alright in this cost-of-living crisis.

At least we’ve solved one mystery that’s been eluding me for the last few days - we now know why the chancellor calls himself a tax-cutting chancellor.

Starmer speaks during a visit to Barnet to launch the Labour party’s London local election campaign (PA)

[8 April 2022 12:29 · Andy Gregory]

No 10 denies being behind tax status leaks

In his interview with The Sun yesterday, Rishi Sunak said he believed that his family were the victims of a Labour smear campaign.

But a Labour source suggested that “the chancellor would do better to look a little closer to home”, saying: “It's clear that No 10 are the ones briefing against Rishi Sunak and, after his failure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, you can understand why.”

Indeed, the Daily Telegraph quoted an ally of Mr Sunak who claimed it is “all coming from No 10” because “Rishi's the only credible show in town”.

A No 10 spokeswoman denied the prime minister's office was sneaking out the allegations, saying: “It is categorically untrue that No 10 is behind the briefings. The prime minister and chancellor are united.”

A Treasury source said: “Neither Rishi nor anyone in his team believes this is coming from no 10.”

[8 April 2022 12:39 · Andy Gregory]

Lib Dem leader calls for Priti Patel’s resignation over Ukraine refugee scheme ‘failure’

Sir Ed Davey has called for the home secretary to resign over her “failure” to help those fleeing Ukraine with an effective refugee scheme.

“Priti Patel's failure to help refugees fleeing from Putin's bombs is squandering the compassion and generosity of the British people. We want to offer Ukrainians a home, but Priti Patel has slammed the door in their face,” the Liberal Democrat leader said.

“An apology isn't enough. She must resign.”

It comes after new figures showed that less than 3 per cent of Ukrainians who have applied to come to Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme have arrived in the UK since the route opened three weeks ago.

Our social affairs correspondent May Bulman has more details on the scheme here:

[8 April 2022 12:51 · Andy Gregory]

Akshata Murty’s non-dom tax status ‘not unusual’, claims minister

Energy minister Greg Hands has claimed that Akshata Murty’s non-dom tax arrangements were “not unusual” and said the commentary around Rishi Sunak’s wife was “a little bit unpleasant, to be frank”.

Asked about Ms Murty’s decision to choose an exemption from paying tax in the UK on foreign income, Mr Hands told LBC: “That is not unusual for somebody who is a foreign national.”

The minister added: “She is an Indian national and her affairs in that regard are not unusual for somebody who is not domiciled here, but is a foreign national.”

Ms Murty, who married the chancellor in 2009, has confirmed she paid £30,000 to hold non-dom status after The Independent revealed the arrangement earlier this week.

My colleague Adam Forrest has the full story:

[8 April 2022 13:00 · Andy Gregory]

Alex Stevens, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Kent, has this response to suggestions made by Rishi Sunak and his Conservative colleagues that scrutiny of his wife’s tax status is unfair:

Mr Sunak, Akshata Murty and their two children live in the flat above No 10 Downing Street , while Boris Johnson and his family live at No 11, which was until recently the traditional home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.