Following Saturday’s revelations about Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, the letter also seeks information on whether any of Boris Johnson’s potential successors have been investigated over their financial affairs or whether officials have raised concerns about them. The fact that Sajid Javid and his wife Rishi Sunak are already known to have used non-resident status for UK tax purposes could be “just the tip of the iceberg”, Dodds said. The letter was sent to Andrew Stephenson, the MP appointed to replace Oliver Dowden to co-chair the Conservative party, after it emerged that honesty and ethics officers flagged Zahawi with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before since his promotion from education secretary to chancellor. Zahawi, who has a personal fortune of more than £100m, has faced calls to explain the financial arrangements of his family trust, an offshore company, Balshore Investments in Gibraltar. A source close to Zahawi said he “does not have, and has never had, an interest in Balshore Investments and is not a beneficiary”. In the letter to Stephenson, Dodds said all Tory leadership candidates should say whether they or their immediate family have benefited from the overseas earnings tax regime and whether they support a Labor plan to scrap it selection. The letter also asks if they or their families own offshore holdings, even through a shell company. whether they have funds in domestic shell companies or blind trusts. for details of any inquiries into their affairs by HMRC, the National Crime Agency or the Serious Fraud Office; and whether Whitehall officials have ever raised concerns about their affairs. Dodds wrote: “Workers and businesses across our country are paying their taxes and doing the right thing. “It would further damage public confidence in government if another Conservative prime minister enters No 10 under the impression that the rules that apply to everyone else do not apply to them.” In April, it emerged that Akshata Murty, the wife of Sunak, who resigned as chancellor last week, had claimed non-dom status, allowing her to save millions of pounds in tax on dividends collected from a stake in tech firm Infosys , founded by her father. It was then revealed that Sunak had a US green card, giving him ‘US permanent resident’ status for tax purposes for 19 months while he was chancellor and for six years as an MP. Javid then said he held non-resident status for six years while he was a banker and held property in an offshore trust until he became a minister in 2012. Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Sunday he had never used non-resident status and would release his tax details if required. Javid also said he would. Mr Hunt told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme: “I’m quite happy to go through to the last two, to publish my tax affairs, if that’s what the other candidates are doing. But I’m not going to talk about other candidates. For myself, I wouldn’t have any problem doing it.” When the Cabinet Office was asked about the “flag” raised for Zahawi, a spokesman said: “According to the ministerial code, ministers must ensure that a conflict does not arise or could reasonably be perceived to arise , between their ministerial position and their private interests. financial or otherwise. “The chancellor followed the process set out in the ministerial code and complied with these requirements to the satisfaction of the previous independent advisers.” A spokesman for Zahawi said: “All of Mr Zahawi’s financial interests have been properly and transparently declared.” A source close to Zahawi said he and his wife had never claimed non-relative status.
