New Delhi: UK prime minister Rishi Sunak may be facing more troubles over his wife’s connection with IT giant Infosys, with calls for transparency over his interests as the free trade deal with India looks at increasing visas for Indian workers, UK newspaper Observer reported on Saturday.
“Rishi Sunak faces a new conflict of interest row before a G20 summit in New Delhi next month over claims that his family could stand to benefit financially from a post-Brexit trade deal that he is negotiating with India,” said the newspaper.
The article claimed that lawmakers and trade experts say “there are concerns at the highest levels of government over potential “transparency” issues” relating to his wife Akshata Murty’s shareholding in Infosys. Akshata Murty is the daughter of one of Infosys’s founders, Narayana Murthy.
The opposition head of the parliamentary select committee on business and trade, Darren Jones, told the newspaper that it was important for the prime minister to declare his interests. “I expect him to do so in respect of the India trade deal too,” he said.
The Shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said his party backed a trade deal with India “so it is important that he [Sunak] is transparent about any relevant business links and his personal role in negotiations”.
In a statement to the newspaper, a UK government spokesperson said that the prime minister was pursuing a trade deal with India “in the best interests of the United Kingdom”. “The prime minister’s interests have been declared in accordance with the normal processes.”
The latest accusation follows last week’s announcement that the UK parliament’s standards watchdog had concluded Sunak had breached the code of conduct, albeit unintentionally. He was admonished for failing to properly declare his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company that stood to benefit from new government policies.
Murty was at the centre of another controversy last year due to her non-domiciled status which excludes her from paying British taxes on overseas income. She subsequently consented to pay UK taxes on her foreign earnings going forward.
The British prime minister will be travelling to New Delhi to attend the G20 summit next month, where he is expected to discuss the free trade deal talks in a bilateral meeting with the host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Observer wrote.
The aftermath of Brexit prompted the UK to pursue new global trade relationships, and a significant focus was directed towards forging a comprehensive trade pact with India. A crucial requirement put forth by India during the negotiations for a free-trade agreement is the expansion of visas granted to its workforce in sectors like IT and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the UK aims to secure reduction in tariffs on items such as exports of Scotch Whisky and automobiles to India.
The newspaper also reported that the UK’s foreign office has cautioned the parliamentary select committee against visiting India this year to examine the trade deal talks.
“The committee was advised by the government that it would be better to visit India next year instead of during sensitive trade negotiations,” Jones told The Observer.
Further, the foreign office informed that it will not be able to assist in setting up meetings for the committee members with Indian interlocutors. “Amid signs of tension between the MPs and the FCDO, the committee will meet soon after parliament returns next week to discuss whether to go ahead anyway,” said the newspaper.
A professor of economics at London School of Economics, Alan Manning, who chaired the migration advisory committee from 2016 to 2019 told the Observer that Indian IT companies are among the biggest users of UK’s visa system and will want to expand further.
“As the prime minister’s family may have a direct financial interest in any deal on immigration, he should recuse himself from this part of the negotiations to avoid any perception of conflict of interest,” said Manning.
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August 27, 2023 at 04:45PM
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UK PM Faces New Conflict of Interest Allegation Over Wife’s Connection and India-UK Trade Deal Talks - The Wire
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