Defiant to the last, Nadhim Zahawi lacks contrition

Editorial: Nowhere does he acknowledge the damage he has inflicted on his country, his party or the government

No apologies, no regrets, it seems (AFP via Getty)

As “careless” as he was about his tax affairs – that is the official description given to him by HMRC, and it was not meant as a compliment – Nadhim Zahawi has also exercised some licence in the resignation letter he sent to the prime minister.

One serious omission in his response to his sacking is any sense of contrition. Not, as far as can be judged, a man often overwhelmed by self-doubt, Mr Zahawi nowhere acknowledges the damage he has inflicted on his country, his party, and the government through his negligence and his subsequent attempt to bluster and obfuscate his way out of trouble. No apologies, no regrets, it seems.

He has previously acknowledged, albeit after considerable delay and resistance, the fact of his having settled a £5m tax bill, which included a punitive penalty of about £1m. But he does not see fit to mention this, or indeed the verdict of the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, who found that he had “fallen below the high standards” expected of him.