James Cleverly said it was sexist to question Rishi Sunak’s wife’s tax – only 5 responses you need

Much attention is being focused on the tax affairs of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, after it was revealed she uses non-domicile status to avoid paying UK tax on the £11.5m in annual dividends she receives from a stake in her family’s IT business empire.

Excl: Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife ‘avoided tax through non-dom status’

The Treasury declined to comment. A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak did not respond to multiple requests for comment. https://t.co/Z3gq48M0rr

— Anna Isaac (@Annaisaac) April 6, 2022

Labour said it would be ‘breathtaking hypocrisy’ if she had been reducing her tax liabilities while the chancellor was raising the tax burden on nearly everyone else.

Here’s what a lot of people were saying about it today.

There will be contortions galore & the hottest of hot takes but it is obviously untenable for a Chancellor to be setting tax rates that his own wife exempts herself from.
It is a question of the most basic probity & morality.

— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) April 7, 2022

Rishi Sunak is in charge of tax policy. And he has a conflict of interest when it comes to making choices about who and how to tax because his wife is vastly wealthy and a non-dom.

But, really, it's worse. He has chosen to raise taxes in ways that protect vastly wealthy people.

— Jo Maugham (@JolyonMaugham) April 7, 2022

Rishi Sunak's defenders say his family has done nothing illegal.

This misses the fact that neither had Jimmy Carr, which didn't stop David Cameron branding him "morally wrong".

And while Carr wasn't in charge of setting tax laws, Sunak very much is.https://t.co/nsSrBMm8uW

— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) April 7, 2022

I mostly think spouses aren't fair game in politics but – non dom status was a big issue in 2015 election, Treasury makes policy on it, sorry but this is absolutely a matter of public interest https://t.co/QwZ7nSgSQn

— gabyhinsliff (@gabyhinsliff) April 6, 2022

And we mention it again because Tory MP and minister for we can’t remember right now James Cleverly weighed in with this, appearing to suggest that somehow the whole thing was basically sexist.

And these are the only 5 responses you need.

1.

I'm sorry but it is sexist to ask why the chancellor and his family is benefiting from loopholes for the super rich (which he could close) while the poorest face a big national insurance hike during a cost of living crisis https://t.co/q1l6GbeUfO

— James Felton (@JimMFelton) April 7, 2022

2.

So when a man is made redundant I assume you won’t be looking at his wife’s income anymore when deciding if he can claim benefit? 🤔

— Sarah (@kokeshimum) April 7, 2022

3.

When the chancellors wife doesn’t pay tax through loopholes only available to the uber rich …whilst the same chancellor is raising tax for everyone else …. seems like a viable public news story to me

— Con O’Neill (@cononeilluk) April 7, 2022

4.

In everyday life – absolutely

In a grossly conflicted situation where the man who shapes our tax laws has a wife who loopholes her way out of following them – no chance

— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) April 7, 2022

5.

Dear James,
Every benefit claimant thought that too, but the state doesn’t

The Ministerial Code doesn’t either

Nor does Parliament’s register of members interests https://t.co/hr19MvjWXI

— nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) April 7, 2022

And especially this.

How sexist of you to see it this way. It wouldn’t matter if it was a husband or wife. It’s deeply inappropriate for the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s spouse or partner to be registered as a non-dom.

— Anna Turley 🌹💙🇺🇦 (@annaturley) April 7, 2022

Just in case anyone still wasn’t clear.

BBC News – Rishi Sunak faces questions over wife Akshata Murty's non-dom tax status pic.twitter.com/uBO1WOrOL6

— Tim Clapham (@AnnoyedofBexhil) April 7, 2022

To conclude …

The Chancellor’s wife is a non-dom and this is the best defence they can come up with?! https://t.co/UWDFI7ZIyz

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) April 7, 2022

And this.

Either you have not read the ministerial code, @JamesCleverly, or you do not understand it.

Which is it? https://t.co/pMyQe337ml

— Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) April 7, 2022

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Source Twitter @JamesCleverly Images screengrab, Facebook