The PM says he’ll be “transparent” in a wide-ranging interview to mark his 100th day in office.
Image source, ReutersPrime Minister Rishi Sunak has repeated his pledge to publish his tax returns, telling presenter Piers Morgan in a TV interview he will do so “shortly”.
Mr Sunak said he was willing to be “transparent” and publish the documents, which were “being prepared”.
The PM’s financial affairs came under scrutiny last year when it emerged his wife, Akshata Murty, had non-dom status and was not paying UK tax.
Opposition parties have since called on Mr Sunak to be open about his finances.
Mr Sunak first made the promise to publish his tax returns during his unsuccessful campaign to be leader of the Conservative Party last summer.
As prime minister, he said he would stand by the pledge in December at the G20 summit in Bali, telling reporters he would seek advice and “figure out the right way that happens”.
Mr Sunak is thought to be to one of the richest MPs in Parliament, something Labour has used as an attack line during Prime Minister’s Questions.
While there is not a long tradition of prime ministers publishing their tax returns, some of Mr Sunak’s predecessors have chosen to do so in recent years.
In his interview with Morgan in 10 Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: “They will be published shortly. As you know the tax filing deadline was just a few days ago. So that’s why.
“So we do the tax-filing deadlines just passed, so they’re just being prepared and they will be released shortly.”
The interview covered a wide range of topics, from serious ones about government policy, to light-hearted ones about his love life.
He was asked by Morgan to describe his “doctrine” and to assess his first 100 days in office as prime minister.
Mr Sunak said he inherited “a challenging situation” but insisted he was “proud of what we’ve achieved” so far.
When Morgan challenged Mr Sunak on car parking charges for nurses at hospitals in England, he promised: “Of course, I’m happy to look at that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Sunak pledged to bring in tougher immigration and asylum rules to curb the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.