on thursday, israel carried out its most deadly raid in the occupied west bank in many years and killed ten palestinians there. this is all going on setting the scene as the us secretary of state, antony blinken, is due to arrive on a pre planned visit and he s going to meet israeli and palestinian leaders at this tense time. you re watching bbc news let s get more on our main story. who was dismissed as conservative party chairman earlier today by rishi sunak following an investigation into his tax affairs. let s speak to sonia sodha who is the chief leader writer of the observer. thanks forjoining us. what is your view of how nadhim zahawi ended up losing hisjob. iii view of how nadhim zahawi ended up
the prime minister had asked his ethics adviser to investigate. sir laurie magnus reported back this morning. his findings were highly critical. in a letter to rishi sunak he said from april 2021 nadhim zahawi should have understood that he was under investigation by hmrc. he went on to say that nadhim zahawi failed to disclose relevant information, in this case the nature of the investigation and it outcome of a penalty. he concluded that his admissions amounted to a serious failure to meet the high standards set out in the ministerial code. in a one page letter, the prime minister sealed nadhim zahawi s fate. he said it was clear there had been a serious breach of the ministerial code and that he was sacked from the government. the ethics adviser was also critical of what he labelled an untrue statement from nadhim zahawi, that he echoed in an interview last july. i was clearly being smeared. i was being told that the serious fraud office, that hmrc are looking into me. i m not aware
the opposition say rishi sunak should have acted faster. this is very serious. nadhim zahawi has spent a long time dodging this. and i dojust think it speaks to rishi sunak s character and his judgment and his weakness. he isn t prepared to do what is right for the country. michael gove insisted the prime minister behaved appropriately. as a general rule, i think it is important when allegations are raised that they are investigated promptly but also we shouldn t rush tojudgment before there has been that investigation. in his reply to the prime minister s letter, nadhim zahawi said he had been concerned about the conduct of the press towards him. he added that it was the privilege of his life to serve in government. mr zahawi s life story is an incredible one. this will be a devastating chapter to look back on. in pakistan, at least 41 people have died after a bus plunged off a bridge. the accident happened in the south west of the country.
don t think anything the ethics adviser could have said could possibly have changed the need for this decision. the investigation could have taken place after nadhim zahawi was sacked. but could have taken place after nadhim zahawi was sacked. zahawi was sacked. but that does seem somewhat zahawi was sacked. but that does seem somewhat back zahawi was sacked. but that does seem somewhat back to - zahawi was sacked. but that does seem somewhat back to front. i zahawi was sacked. but that does seem somewhat back to front. al zahawi was sacked. but that does i seem somewhat back to front. a lot of people watching this at home who are not steeped in politics might think, well, because if there s going to be an investigation wait for it to play out and it was done pretty quickly in the end and of course the prime minister acted faster this morning as soon as he got the report. it also shows, doesn t it, that this advisory post actually has some teeth. the ethics adviser has actually h
tempted not to come forward with everything that is, in theory, the ministerial code demands? sets an examle, ministerial code demands? sets an example. clear ministerial code demands? sets an example, clear example ministerial code demands? sets an example, clear example but - ministerial code demands? sets an example, clear example but mp i ministerial code demands? sets an - example, clear example but mp should not need an example. the rest of us are expected to file accurate tax reports and expected to pay tax to be a one time and through our payslips or self employed on an annual basis, so the idea that somebody who was so senior in government was trying to get away with it i think makes voters angry and there s a sense of hypocrisy in the same thing we saw at party gate where there is the idea that we have one rory are expected to live by but sometimes ministers and government don t think the rules apply to themselves and i think that is what is so damaging. and this is the s