Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked from government after an inquiry by Rishi Sunak's ethics adviser criticised how he handled his tax affairs. The prime minister said the inquiry showed there had been "serious breach of the ministerial code".

He had asked Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate after it emerged Mr Zahawi paid a penalty to HMRC while he was chancellor, over previously unpaid tax. Sir Laurie concluded the MP had failed to be open about his finances.

In a letter to Mr Zahawi, Mr Sunak wrote: "As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty's Government."

In response, Mr Zahawi thanked the prime minister and said he took pride in his achievements in government - highlighting the vaccine rollout and the Queen's funeral - but did not offer an apology for breaching the rules or mention his tax affairs.

Setting out his findings in a letter to the prime minister, Sir Laurie criticised Mr Zahawi not only for failing to include the HMRC investigation in his register of interests until July 2022, but also for failing to update it once a settlement had been reached. Taken together these "omissions" constitute a "serious failure to meet the standards set out in the ministerial code", he said.