Sunak faces ethics watchdog probe as Labour goes on the offensive in Scotland

It’s the second day back after recess, and it hasn’t been an ideal start for Rishi Sunak. It was revealed yesterday that parliament’s commissioner for standards has opened an investigation into the Prime Minister over a potential breach of transparency rules relating to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife holds shares. Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty is an investor in Koru Kids, a company that is expected to benefit from government plans to incentivise new childminders, set out in last month’s Budget. Responding to the news, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the government’s “failure to update the rules or publish a register of ministers’ interests” has resulted in a “transparency black hole”, which she said is “enabling the Prime Minister and those he has appointed to dodge proper scrutiny of their affairs”.

Of more immediate relevance to many voters are the latest labour market figures, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning, which bring yet more bad news for the Tories ahead of the local elections next month. The ONS statistics reveal that wages fell in real terms on the year in December 2022 to February 2023 – by 3% for total pay (including bonuses) and 2.3% for regular pay (excluding bonuses). According to the ONS, a larger fall on the year for real total pay was last seen in February to April 2009. Commenting on the figures, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt admitted that rising prices “continue to eat into pay cheques”, adding that that is why halving inflation this year is one of the government’s “top economic priorities”. His opposite number Rachel Reeves attacked the government’s handling of the economy, arguing that the Tories “continue to hold us back”. The Shadow Chancellor said: “13 years of the Tories, and all we have is a gaping hole where their plan for growth should be and a cost-of-living crisis that continues to damage family finances.”

Labour is also going on the offensive in Scotland, confronting both the Tories and the SNP on their records in government. In a speech yesterday morning – pointedly located in new First Minister Humza Yousaf’s constituency – Anas Sarwar declared: “Scotland deserves better. We deserve better than the divided and deceitful SNP. And we deserve better than the corrupt and cruel Conservatives.” The Scottish Labour leader argued that only his party “can boot the Tories out of No 10”, telling attendees: “Every seat we win in Scotland can help replace the Tories and deliver a majority Labour government led by Keir Starmer. That is what is at stake here.” With the SNP continuing to be consumed by revelations about the party’s finances – with another arrest reported today as part of the police investigation – Sarwar’s speech was a clear statement of Scottish Labour’s intent and its growing hope that the party can capitalise on the chaos that has followed Nicola Sturgeon’s departure as First Minister.