Rishi Sunak ‘moves family out of Downing Street flat’ as tax row deepens

Removal vans seen outside flat as chancellor faces questions but sources claim move was planned before the crisis

Rishi Sunak has moved his family out of Downing Street amid a growing row about his family’s taxes.

Removal vans were seen outside Downing Street over the weekend as belongings were taken from the flat the chancellor and his family occupy above Number 10.

Sources close to Mr Sunak downplayed reports he was moving his wife Akshata Murty and two daughters out to escape the media spotlight, after pictures emerged of trucks being loaded on Saturday.

One source told the Press Association the Sunaks had always intended to spend more time in their west London home to be closer to their daughter’s school.

Mr Sunak is now expected to stay in Downing Street during the week while joining them at weekends.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak with his wife Akshata Murthy (PA)

The Sunday Mirror reported a velvet armchair, shelving unit and other personal items were seen being loaded onto the back of two trucks on Saturday morning. The move was planned before Mr Sunak’s current crisis, the paper added.

On Sunday it emerged that the chancellor has written to the prime minister to ask that his declarations are submitted to Lord Geidt, the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, because of the growing scrutiny over his tax affairs.

That came after a Whitehall investigation was launched to find out if officials shared details of Ms Murty’s tax arrangements, after The Independent revealed she was claiming non-domicile status.

The Independent also revealed claims Mr Sunak was listed as a beneficiary of tax haven trusts in the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, created to manage the financial affairs of his wife’s family’s interests.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Mr Sunak said: “I have always followed the rules and I hope such a review will provide further clarity.”

In his letter to Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak asked that Lord Geidt review all his declarations of interest since he became a minister in 2018 to ensure they had been properly stated.

He said he was confident he had acted appropriately at all times, but his “overriding concern” was that the public should have confidence in his answers and therefore recommended “Lord Geidt makes all his conclusions public”.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has referred himself to Boris Johnson’s independent adviser on ministerial interests (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Mr Sunak’s political career is at risk of being derailed by the row over his wife’s non-domiciled status and his own former holding of a US green card.

An announcement on Friday by Ms Murty that she would pay UK taxes on all her worldwide income failed to stem the criticism.

There is no suggestion that either Mr Sunak or Ms Murty have broken any laws through their tax arrangements.

The Independent has contacted the Treasury for comment.