The probe by the Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, relates to the shares Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty holds in the childminding agency Koru Kids.
The PM has been accused of a possible conflict of interest after he failed to mention his wife’s links to Koru Kids when he was questioned by MPs over why new childminders joining agencies will receive a larger financial incentive than those who sign up as independent childminders.
The policy, announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt in his Spring Budget, sees prospective childminders offered a £600 bonus, increasing to a £1,200 bonus for those signing on with one of six agencies, including Koru Kids that Murty holds shares in.
On the Standards Commissioner’s website it states that a declaration of interest is the matter under investigation, referring to paragraph 6 of the MPs’ code of conduct, which governs how MPs should behave.
Paragraph 6 says that MPs ‘must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceedings of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders’.
The Commissioner looks at evidence that individual MPs may have broken the Rules of Conduct. Once an inquiry has finished, the Commissioner decides whether or not an MP has broken the rules. Once he has decided, the Commissioner’s decision and evidence received will be made public.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said, ‘We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.’
