Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty move out of Downing Street amid tax row: report

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty are facing public scrutiny amid a tax row

Rishi Sunak’s family has move out of their Downing Street residence in London amid a raging controversy over his wife’s tax status. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer is facing intense criticism after recent reports suggested that his wife Akshata Murty’s foreign earnings were shielded from British tax authorities, thanks to her non-domiciled status.

Multiple news outlets reported that removal vans were spotted outside Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street flat on Saturday morning. A velvet armchair, a shelving unit and several bags were among the objects loaded onto the two vans.

Rishi Sunak’s family will move into their newly-renovated luxury flat in Kensington, the Guardian reported. The move has set off speculation that the Chancellor wanted to remove his family from the media glare that comes with living at the UK’s most politically prominent address.

However, a report in the Mirror suggested that the move was long planned and had little to do with Murty’s tax row. According to the report, the family wanted to move closer to the primary school which their eldest daughter attends. After completing the term, she will move to boarding school.

Sunak is expected to split his time between his family home in Kensington and his Downing Street flat.

On Friday, Akshata Murty announced that she would start paying UK tax on "all worldwide income”. The daughter of billionaire Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, she has been accused of using her non-domicile status to save millions in taxes.

The Guardian estimated that Murty has received 54.5 million pounds ($71 million) in dividends from the family company Infosys since 2015. Her status allowed her to avoid paying 20 million pounds of tax to the British exchequer, the paper said.

Sunak, meanwhile, has accused critics of mounting a smear campaign against his wife.

(With inputs from AFP)