Shamed ex-minister Nadhim Zahawi refuses to go quietly after being fired over ... trends now
Tax row ex-minister Nadhim Zahawi is threatening to kick-start a damaging protracted public row with Rishi Sunak over the manner of his sacking as Conservative Party chairman.
The multi-millionaire MP was fired early yesterday morning over a seven-figure payment to HMRC he made while chancellor last year.
The Prime Minister dismissed the former vaccines minister for a 'serious breach of the ministerial code' less than two hours after receiving a report by ethics chief Sir Laurie Magnus.
Mr Zahawi, who is reported to have paid a £1million fine as part of a £5million settlement with tax authorities, had previously threatened legal action against journalists trying to look into the tax probe.
He is believed to still insist he has done nothing wrong, and was not given enough of a chance to put his case.
Allies have suggested he may publish his own rebuttal to the conclusions reached by Sir Laurie, who identified seven separate breaches of the ministerial code of conduct.
But Health Minister Helen Whately told Sky News today that Mr Zahawi had 'opportunities when he could have been transparent and he wasn't.'
Mr Sunak is now hunting for a 'squeaky clean' candidate for Tory party chairman, and was last night struggling to find an immediate replacement for the post, which is critical in the run-up to a general election expected next year. Former party leader and foreign secretary Lord Hague has been linked with the role.
Unrepentant: Nadhim Zahawi and wife Lana
In an unrepentant letter to Rishi Sunak who fired him yesterday morning, former Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi made no reference to the tax row that led to his sacking, and offered no apology for his conduct
Rishi Sunak (pictured) is now hunting for a 'squeaky clean' candidate for Tory party chairman
However a Tory grassroots organisation controlled by supporters of the former PM Boris Johnson is demanding the party membership has a role in choosing the new chairman.
The Conservative Democratic Organisation, led by Lord Cruddas, said the chairman - who gets a ministerial position - had become 'too much a representative of the Government to the membership rather than representing members to the Government'.
It has launched a petition calling for the post to be elected annually.
Mr Zahawi yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on the Press over media reports that ended his career in frontline politics.
In an unrepentant letter to Rishi Sunak who fired him yesterday morning, the former Tory chairman made no reference to the tax row that led to his sacking, and offered no apology for his conduct.
Mr Zahawi was criticised in the report for his lack of candour in statements to the Press about his tax affairs.
On July 10 last year, when he had been under investigation by HMRC for more than 12 months, he dismissed reports of the probe, saying: 'It's very sad that such smears should be circulated and sadder still that they have been published.'
Sir Laurie said Mr Zahawi 'should have understood' he was under investigation by HMRC, which had held face-to-face talks with him the previous year, and that this was 'a serious matter'.
Two ministers told the Mail that former Tory leader William Hague (pictured) was among the possible candidates for the job of Tory Party chair
Allies of Mr Sunak dismissed a suggestion from Jacob Rees-Mogg that Boris Johnson (pictured) could take the job
He added that the then chancellor's dismissal of the reports failed to meet the duty of ministers to be 'as open
