Senior UK Conservatives Under Fire Over Tax, Finances

LONDON (AP) U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak opened an investigation Monday into allegations that the chairman of the governing Conservative Party settled a multimillion-dollar unpaid tax bill while he was in charge of the countrys Treasury.

Its one of multiple stories about secret loans and unpaid taxes causing discomfort for Sunak, who has faced scrutiny of his own personal wealth and family tax arrangements.

Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi has acknowledged a dispute with tax authorities over shares in YouGov, a polling company he co-founded. But he said that the error was careless and not deliberate.

So that I could focus on my life as a public servant, I chose to settle the matter and pay what they said was due, which was the right thing to do, he said in a statement.

The BBC and other British media reported that the tax bill, including a fine, came to almost 5 million pounds ($6.2 million). They say the bill was settled when Zahawi was Treasury chief between July and September, during the final weeks of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons tenure.