Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to “come clean” over whether his wife benefits from investments in Russia.
The chancellor has come under pressure over his wife, Akshata Murthy, having a 0.91% stake in Infosys, a company founded by her father, which continues to operate in Russia.
Mr Sunak has described the scrutiny as “upsetting” and in a BBC interview this week jokingly compared himself with actor Will Smith with both “having our wives attacked”.
Sir Keir told Sky News he agreed “with the general proposition that family members shouldn’t be brought into political arguments”.
But he said there was a “fundamental question of principle” regarding the chancellor’s wife.
Sir Keir said: “Is their household benefiting from money made in Russia when the government’s put in place sanctions?
“That is in the public interest for us to have an answer to.
“I’m not attacking their family – I don’t agree with that way of doing politics.
“But I do want to know: is the chancellor’s household benefiting from money from a company that’s investing in Russia when the government is saying – quite rightly – that nobody should be doing that, sanctions should be in place?
“And we should, particularly in the dreadful situation in Ukraine, frankly be doing everything we can not just to make life difficult for Russia but to cripple their ability to function.
The chancellor’s wife, Akshata Murthy, has a 0.91% stake in Infosys, a firm founded by her father, which continues to operate in Russia
“So, it’s not a personal attack – I absolutely don’t agree with that.
“I would have thought the chancellor would actually want to come clean on this and say…
Source : skynews
