Rishi Sunak’s non-dom wife’s income is a matter of legitimate public interest

Editorial: Politically it adds to the impression of a cabinet and party out of touch with a population struggling with the cost of living crisis

Rishi Sunak alongside his wife Akshata Murthy (PA)

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was at his most uxorious the other day when television interviewers challenged him about his wife’s links to a large tech company sustaining its operations in Moscow, even as sanctions were being imposed on Russian trade.

Looking hurt, he pleaded that his wife was not a politician, and it is fair to add that Akshata Murthy’s extreme wealth – about £400m by most accounts – derives in part from the business activities of her billionaire father and the Infosys company he founded. In any case, the Moscow arm of Infosys was wound down soon after the story broke.

The revelations we report today about the tax status of the wife of the chancellor of the exchequer raise even more questions. The potential conflict that her non-dom status (at least until 2020 and – possibly – dormant or rescinded since) causes or has caused is obvious.