Read Nadhim Zahawis response to The Independent over tax allegations in full

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to sack Nadhim Zahawi from Cabinet after it was claimed the former chancellor paid a penalty of more than 1m to settle a probe into his tax affairs.

The Conservative Party chairman has faced mounting questions over his personal payments to HMRC, but the prime minister has so far stood by him.

Some senior Tories now believe it is impossible for Mr Zahawi to continue in his job, with one describing the situation as unsustainable.

Rishi Sunak has now asked his independent ethics adviser to look into the case, as clearly there are questions that need answering.

The revelation that Mr Zahawi was forced to pay the penalty part of a reported total tax settlement of almost 5m comes as The Independent revealed how he tried to gag this newspaper from revealing that he was being investigated by the National Crime Agency and HMRC last year.

Mr Zahawi repeatedly said he had paid all due taxes and would take legal action if we reported that he had been investigated - but The Independent ignored his threats and published two reports.