Rishi Sunak fires minister Nadhim Zahawi after tax investigation

Rishi Sunak has fired Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi over a “serious breach” of U.K. government ethics rules relating to his tax affairs.

Zahawi — who briefly served as the U.K.’s top finance minister under Boris Johnson — has been hit by weeks of damaging headlines over an investigation into his taxes carried out by HM Revenue and Customs.

In a letter to Zahawi published Sunday morning, Sunak said he had vowed to put “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” of his administration, and that an investigation by the government’s ethics watchdog Laurie Magnus had found “a serious breach of the Ministerial Code.”

“As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s Government,” Sunak said.

This developing story is being updated.