Rishi Sunak’s wife is NOT elected OR in a public role but she is a woman

[BigGreenSpacehopper]

Have you noticed that Zac Goldsmith (elected), Mark Carney (role of significance to all of us as Govenor of the Bank of England), 4th Viscount Rothmere (controlling shareholder and Chair of the Daily Mail) all have non Dom status but no mention is really made. However, a woman, who has no public role, has never said anything public, is being criticised for her non Dom status?

And yes she’s getting massive dividends but I imagine as it’s family money there is a massive pre-nup in place so it’s not like Rishi will be able to run off with it!

"And no @Comedycook I won't "give over". Maybe you'd like to start thinking outside the "one party good, one party bad" box!"

Whatever else I'll say about Labour I suspect they'd have more sense than to hire a billionaire to be chancellor and then act all surprised when it turns out to be bad politics when he raises taxes.

99.99% of the time I'd agree with the OP. And like others, I do find the timing of all this terribly convenient for our badly stuffed mattress of a PM.

But come on. The person who sets economic policy is in a partnership with a non-dom tax dodger millionaire. That is something that the public will have an opinion about.

@JaniieJones

I'm not sure what folk are so riled about. She pays tax in this country on her uk income, she pays tax in India on her income there.

The fact they are rich is irrelevant, I can understand people are jealous but it all reeks of racism and misogyny and the fact is it's all legal.

Sunak has had to make tough financial decisions because we've just paid lots of people's wages in furlough for 2yrs. It's got to be repaid somehow. Do we think Mrs Sunak is responsible for the costs of the pandemic?

Exactly She is not in politics he is and she has paid all taxes due, which I am sure not all actual Conservative MPs have, or they have been involved in various dodgy schemes to avoid it I am not a fan of The Tories or Sunak but this is politically motivated by no 10 in response to the fear that Sunak is a contender for PM if the British public ever wake up to the shit show that is Boris Johnson I don’t want either of them to be PM but I see this for what it is

But the other part of it is whether married women should be running their own finances, without need to inform/consult a husband

Pretty standard in many financial roles that your spouse’s personal dealings have to be declared/must be in accordance with company policy. This is usually to avoid any possibility of insider dealing; if my DH told me about some information that would move the market in a stock and I dealt on that, then he would benefit from that trade. She js the wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer; seems perfectly reasonable to me that similar rules would apply here.

I have no doubt this dirt was dug up to end Sunaks PM dreams- but the dirt is there!!!! Vile pair

@BigGreenSpacehopper

Have you noticed that Zac Goldsmith (elected), Mark Carney (role of significance to all of us as Govenor of the Bank of England), 4th Viscount Rothmere (controlling shareholder and Chair of the Daily Mail) all have non Dom status but no mention is really made. However, a woman, who has no public role, has never said anything public, is being criticised for her non Dom status?

And yes she’s getting massive dividends but I imagine as it’s family money there is a massive pre-nup in place so it’s not like Rishi will be able to run off with it!

There are many valid cases of sexism out there but I don't think that is one of them. It is considered newsworthy and in the public interest because of who she is married to and the situation that his budgeting decisions have left a lot of people in.

If it is a smear campaign who cares though, they're an issue if the person hasn't done anything wrong and it's lies, but this isn't.

The Chancellor has been hit by a massive political backlash over the revelationthat Ms Murty is domiciled inIndiafor tax purposes, despite living in a taxpayer-funded flat inDowning Street.It has been claimed her status may have allowed her to avoid up to £20 million in UK tax.

At the same time, the Mirror last night reported that Infosys, the family firm in which she has a £713million stake, has won UK public sector contracts worth £50million. While she plays no role in the running of the business she would get a share of profits made in the UK by the India-based company

I can't be arsed to look on contracts finder to find all of their contracts and tot the value up- but given they are on a huge government framework and they are on there doesn't seem wild.

And no @Comedycook I won't "give over". Maybe you'd like to start thinking outside the "one party good, one party bad" box!"

I have no idea what you're on about. I have no particular political allegiance. I'm pretty centre and a floating voter

It's not a smear campaign because the accusation is true. What's more interesting is who started it, and I think we all know the answer to that.

Whatever else I'll say about Labour I suspect they'd have more sense than to hire a billionaire to be chancellor and then act all surprised when it turns out to be bad politics when he raises taxes.

Really? You do know that both Starmer and Corbyn are far richer than Johnson?

And you might like to look at the personal wealth of the current Shadow Chancellor Rachal Reeves. Also richer than Johnson. And maybe have a lool at her husband too!

Does this mean that spouses do not have independent agency?

They certainly shouldn't apparently have more independent agency over their spouse than the rest of us ordinary people do - in their role as a cabinet minister as opposed to in the role of their spouse.

Like it or not, your financial interests are considered to be linked, even if you keep separate accounts. Try having a legal document witnessed by your spouse - or having an expense approved by any reputable organisation by your spouse who also happens to work there.

This revelation is as undermining and politically embarrassing to your spouse as it would have been if Denis Thatcher had driven a van around all the primary schools handing out free milk after his wife/the PM had vocally and publicly stopped it. It's not illegal in any way to give people food - but it wouldn't have looked good, would it (even though it would obviously have been 'A Good Thing' notwithstanding her decision to scrap it)?

"Really? You do know that both Starmer and Corbyn are far richer than Johnson?"

Are they billionaires?

I agree to some extent, even though I'm a Labour voter so could be jumping on this. I actually feel way more angry about the likes of (elected) Rees-Mogg who has offshore companies and directly benefitted from Brexit, and others like him. Whilst I'm no fan of Sunak's, I don't feel it's fully fair his wife should be the subject of a smear / witch hunt when she's not a UK citizen and he evidently declared everything when he became a minister. She's wealthy but hasn't broken the law, I don't think. I don't like these rules and think the law should be changed but I don't pin that at her door. I think to start frothing too much about this is taking the bait - there are much more important matters to be sorry about with this government and Sunak's policies should be under scrutiny.

By the way I'm convinced the smear campaign is coming directly from Liz Truss's people and Johnson's people. They are Sunak's true enemies abs very threatened by him, not Labour. It's convenient for them that people assume Labour is steering this. I actually think Labour should rise above this and focus on the policies. The Tories will turn on each other to get power.

At the various points when looking at tax I want to know what financial interests or close connections the people taking decisions have on which taxes are raised or not .

Which ministers have shares in oil companies or (more in the past) cigarette producers. Which will be hit by any increase in inheritance tax. In this case which have a close family member that benefits from the non don status that is part of the UK tax system.

I’d want to know it about Rachel Reeve’s spouse and the rest of the shadow cabinet if if there was a coalition.

As this was public some blame with the media that hasn’t challenged since he became Chancellor.

@SleeplessInEngland

It's not a smear campaign because the accusation is true. What's more interesting is who started it, and I think we all know the answer to that.

It's true, if you squint at it. But it is far more interesting to look at what was NOT targetted. Like the blind trust RS set up, rather than the broadside about "his wife".

THAT becomes even more interesting when you start to look at the personal wealth of many of the Shadow Cabinet, past and present.

I actually feel way more angry about the likes of (elected) Rees-Mogg who has offshore companies and directly benefitted from Brexit, and others like him Rees-Mogg isn’t chancellor !!!

@Comedycook

I don't think having a chancellor who is so rich is a good idea....how can he have any concept or idea of what life is like for a person on minimum or even average wage, let alone benefits?

Then don't vote Tory!

I suspect most people know it's not labour behind it!

Does this mean that spouses do not have independent agency?

And that there is a body of opinion that would like to return to the 1970s and have the lower earning spouse's income taxed as addition to higher earners?

I know this is more about judgement of a household containing a very senior policy maker. But the other part of it is whether married women should be running their own finances, without need to inform/consult a husband

Hope you warmed up before that reach.

@SleeplessInEngland

"Really? You do know that both Starmer and Corbyn are far richer than Johnson?"

Are they billionaires?

Who knows? Definitely multi millionaires. I haven't looked for more blind trusts etc. I am not HMRC!

Have a

I'm not pissed off because she's a woman, I'm pissed off because she is technically non-dom but not really non-dom.

I don’t need a chancellor to have grown up poor but I need one who knows how to use a chip n pin machine - there’s a level of richness that is so out of touch

@SleeplessInEngland

"Really? You do know that both Starmer and Corbyn are far richer than Johnson?"

Are they billionaires?

I didn’t know this but had a look and it seems so based on net worth

@carefullycourageous

Have a

I'm not pissed off because she's a woman, I'm pissed off because she is technically non-dom but not really non-dom.

Exactly- she’s not going back to India is she, her home and life is here

Yes exactly @JaniieJones, the bills have to be paid. Yes it’s annoying, we are all going to suffer but how exactly are we going to pay for over £100bn of cost for the furlough scheme without a raise in taxes? And for context, a windfall tax would bring in £1.2bn or 1% of that.