Shruti Suman
According to a report, Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, unintentionally failed to properly disclose his wife’s ownership of shares in a childcare company that could have benefited from a new government policy. The standards watchdog for parliament stated on Wednesday that this failure was inadvertent.
In April, the Commissioner for Standards in Parliament, Daniel Greenberg, initiated an investigation into Sunak’s actions following concerns raised by opposition parties. These concerns stemmed from media reports indicating that Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, held shares in a company that would profit from government support for the childcare sector.
Daniel Greenberg, responsible for upholding the House of Commons code of conduct and probing alleged violations, published the findings of his investigation. He noted that Sunak should have disclosed the shareholding when questioned about the policy by a committee of senior lawmakers. However, Greenberg expressed his satisfaction that the British leader had misunderstood the regulations regarding registering and disclosing interests.
Greenberg clarified, “After reviewing the available information, I have determined that the breach of the code appears to have been accidental.” He added, “I confirm that the issue is now resolved.”
Although Greenberg possesses the authority to refer rule-breaking lawmakers to a committee with the power to suspend or expel them from parliament, he chose to conclude the inquiry through a rectification procedure in this case.
Rectification procedures may involve providing guidance to the lawmaker, demanding an apology, or correcting the register of members’ financial interests.
In a letter addressed to Greenberg and published by the commissioner’s office, Sunak expressed his apologies for confusing the terms “registration” and “declaration.” Sunak further stated, “I am pleased that this matter will now be concluded through the rectification process.”
