LONDON (AP) 鈥 U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under investigation over allegations he failed to disclose shares his wife owns in a child care business that stands to benefit from his government's budget, a parliamentary watchdog disclosed.
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg opened an inquiry last week for possible violations of the code of conduct that calls on members to be 鈥渙pen and frank鈥 in declaring relevant financial interests, according to an update given to members of Parliament who returned Monday from Easter break.
Parliament requires members to disclose financial interests within four weeks of something they said or actions they took that may have been influenced by a financial interest.
A Sunak spokesperson says he did not make a declaration as a member of parliament but had recorded a 鈥渕inisterial interest,鈥 the equivalent disclosure for government ministers.
The government's budget announced last month includes a massive expansion of free child care for working families with children from 9 months to 4 years old. The plan included financial incentives to people who joined the child care profession and doubled the incentive if it was done through a private agency.
Sunak's wife, Akshata Murthy, has shares in Koru Kids, which is listed on a government website as one of six such agencies. The organization praised the new incentives in the budget as 鈥済reat.鈥
Sunak was asked to 鈥渃ome clean鈥 about his last month after being grilled by members of Parliament over why the child care policy favored private agencies.
When asked if he had any interests to declare, Sunak did not mention his wife鈥檚 shares.
鈥淣o, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way,鈥 he said.
At the time, Sunak's press secretary said his interests would be included in an update of ministers' interests in May.
Earlier this month, Sunak wrote to the Parliamentary committee that questioned him to say he wanted to clarify that "this interest has rightly been declared to the Cabinet Office.鈥
Sunak promised 鈥渋ntegrity, professionalism and accountability at every level" when he took office in October.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, said the failure to update ministers' interests since last May had 鈥渓eft a transparency black hole鈥 that enabled Sunak and his appointees 鈥渢o dodge proper scrutiny of their affairs.鈥
