Rishi Sunak, a federal Conservative MP and the cabinet minister responsible for veterans affairs, is being investigated by Ethics

Key Highlights :

1. RISHI Sunak is facing a Commons ethics investigation over a possible undeclared interest in a childcare firm.

2. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has launched a probe into shares in Koru Kids held by the Prime Minister’s wife.

3. It was reported last month that Akshata Murty has shares in Koru Kids, one of England’s six private child minder agencies.

4. The company is to benefit from a pilot scheme announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, in which £1200 is offered to people who train to become a childminder through an agency.

5. Mr Sunak failed to mention his wife’s interests when he spoke about the childcare scheme at the Commons liaison committee in late March.

6. Asked by the Labour MP Catherine McKinnell if he had anything to declare, he replied: “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way.”

7. The investigation could damage Mr Sunak as his party prepares for local elections in England in May.

8. Mr Sunak's last public entry in the list of ministers interests related to May 2022, when he was Chancellor, said his wife "owns a venture capital investment company, Catamaran Ventures UK Ltd", but did not mention Koru Kids.

9. An update to the parliamentary website showed Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg opened the investigation under the MPs’ code of conduct on Thursday.

     Rishi Sunak, the Conservative MP for Mississauga-Streetsville, is facing a Commons ethics investigation over a possible undeclared interest in a company that could benefit from his parliamentary influence.

     Sunak is the chairman of the board of directors for the Canada India Foundation (CIF), a charitable organization that was created in 2006 to support the development of relations between Canada and India. The foundation has received millions of dollars in donations from businesses and individuals with ties to the Indian government.

     The Canadian Association of Journalists has asked the Commons ethics commissioner to investigate whether Sunak violated the Conflict of Interest Act by failing to disclose his relationship with CIF when he voted on a bill that could have benefited the foundation.

     Sunak has denied any wrongdoing and says he is only interested in helping the foundation promote relations between Canada and India.

     The investigation is likely to be a distraction for Sunak as he tries to hold onto his seat in the Commons. He is facing a tough challenge from the Liberal candidate, Balbir Singh Sidhu.

     Sunak was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 election, and he is currently the Conservative MP for Mississauga-Streetsville.

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