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Nadhim Zahawi Sacked From Government By Rishi Sunak Over Tax Row

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Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked as Tory Party chairman and cabinet minister without portfolio by Rishi Sunak.

The prime minister said there had been “a serious breach of the ministerial code” over Zahawi’s tax affairs.

“As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in HM government,” Sunak said in a letter to his Tory colleague.

The PM has been under pressure to sack Zahawi ever since it emerged that he had paid a £5 million settlement to HMRC over unpaid tax when he was chancellor last year.

In a statement a week ago, Zahawi said that HMRC has agreed that it had been a “careless and not deliberate” mistake.

Sunak announced that he was asking his ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to investigate the affair.

In his letter to Zahawi, the prime minister said: “When I became prime minister last year, I pledged that the government I lead would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.

“That is why, following new information which came to light in recent days regarding your personal financial arrangements and declarations, I asked Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, to fully investigate this matter.

“You agreed and undertook to co-operate fully with the inquiry.

“Following the completion of the independent adviser’s investigation – the findings of which he has shared with us both – it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the ministerial code.

“As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in HM government.

″“As you leave, you should be extremely proud of your wide-ranging achievements in government over the last five years.

“In particular, your successful oversight of the Covid-19 vaccine procurement and deployment programme which ensured the United Kingdom was at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Shadow education secretary Bridget Philipson said: “Despite the writing on the wall, the Prime Minister showed himself to be too weak to act.

“Rishi Sunak should have sacked Nadhim Zahawi a long time ago, just as he should have acted over Dominic Raab and Suella Braverman, but in his weakness he promoted them.

“The reason this keeps happening is we have a government whose only principle is party first, country second.

“The Tories are governing in their own interests, with a prime minister who is trying to manage his MPs, rather than govern in the national interest.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper called on Zahawi to stand down as MP for Stratford-on-Avon.

She said: “Rishi Sunak has finally acted after spending days defending the indefensible on Nadhim Zahawi.

“It should never have taken him this long to act. Sunak’s first 100 days in office have been tarnished by endless Conservative sleaze and scandals.

“Serious questions remain about what Sunak knew about Zahawi’s tax affairs when he appointed him. We need a proper independent inquiry to establish the facts and hold the Prime Minister to account.

“Given this was a serious breach of the ministerial code, Nadhim Zahawi must also do the right thing and resign as an MP.”

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S Club 7 Singer Hannah Spearritt And Children Forced Out Of Home Before Christmas

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S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt has said she and her family had to move into an office over Christmas and New Year, after being forced of their home by a landlord.

The chart-topping star said she had lived in four temporary homes in the last six months, adding “it was stressful, but you deal with it”.

In an interview with The Sun, Hannah said public perception of her and fellow bandmates as “millionaires” was “just not true”.

Speaking about her time spent in between permanent living spaces, she said: “Our landlord needed the money and the property sold so fast. We ended up with under two days to leave.

“What screwed us is we didn’t have time to find another place. We had somewhere over Christmas but ran out of time before we could move in. It was just a couple of weeks.

“We were allowed to stay in our friend’s office. We just used it as our living room.

“It was extra space. It was stressful but you deal with it, don’t you? Especially with the kids.”

Hannah with her bandmates in the early 2000s
Hannah with her bandmates in the early 2000s

Tim Roney via Getty Images

She added: “People think we must all be millionaires but sadly it’s just not true. It was what it was and we enjoyed ourselves at the time.”

Hannah also told The Sun she had come down with an illness that had left her confined to her bed, while her and her partner’s new cafe venture had also stalled.

S Club 7 were formed in 1998 and consisted of Hannah, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett.

Their hits included Don’t Stop Movin’, Bring It All Back, and Never Had A Dream Come True.

After the group went their separate ways, Hannah also pursued a career in acting, appearing in shows like Primeval, EastEnders and Casualty.

Hannah told The Sun she is the only member of the group not to sign up for S Club’s upcoming reunion gigs, including shows at London’s O2 Arena, this autumn.

“I’m going to make a final decision soon,” she explained. “I just need to be sure everything will be okay health-wise.

“There is no point being paid pittance and getting exhausted. It has to be worthwhile and I have the kids to think about. I’d like them to see me up there.

“It’s an opportunity to do things right this time.”

S Club 7 previously reformed for a 12-date reunion tour back in 2015.

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Bruno Tonioli Breaks Silence On Rumours He And Alan Carr Were Both In Running For BGT Role

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Bruno Tonioli has spoken for the first time about rumours that he and Alan Carr were both being considered for a judging role on the new series of Britain’s Got Talent.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Bruno had landed a spot on the BGT panel, replacing David Walliams, who has now left the show after 10 series.

However, prior to the Italian dancer’s appointment, it had previously been reported in the tabloid press that Alan was being eyed for the role.

Speaking to The Sun, the former Strictly Come Dancing judge insisted it “won’t be awkward at all” between himself and Alan when they next cross paths.

Alan Carr
Alan Carr

David M. Benett via Getty Images

“I haven’t had a clue about his negotiations,” Bruno told the newspaper.“I love Alan and I know him, he is a very nice guy.

“I didn’t know the situation with him, nothing was announced, and that’s show business. This was down to ITV — and I just said yes to the job when it was offered.”

Bruno added: “He’s a professional, he knows how things go.”

Meanwhile, Bruno also spoke about how he came to the land the job in the first place.

“I was actually on holiday and I got a text message from Simon’s girlfriend,” Bruno said.

“We’ve been friends for a long time, me and Simon, and she suggested we all get together. I had no idea this job was around.

“I arrived in London on the ninth of January and my agent had a call from ITV. I had no idea what it was about other than he said, ‘oh its something very big’ and I thought ‘that’s good’.

“Then I had a meeting on the 13th with ITV and I thought great, this is fantastic.”

The new-look Britain's Got Talent panel
The new-look Britain’s Got Talent panel

Karwai Tang via Getty Images

Bruno continued: “There were no long negotiations, I just said ‘yes, I want to do it’.

“It happened so fast that I have practically nothing to wear. I am going to have to go shopping next week when I get to Manchester, I must make Simon pay . . . actually he’s teased me about joining for years and then never offered me the job, so I still didn’t believe it until it finally happened.”

Earlier this week, it had been reported there was some “upset” among members of the panel over Bruno’s supposed BGT salary, although a rep insisted this was not the case.

Britain’s Got Talent will return to ITV for its 16th series later this year.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals The One Thing That Annoys Her About Buffy

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Vampires don’t age, but Sarah Michelle Gellar does — and she doesn’t want to be reminded of her mortality.

On Friday, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer star appeared on The Graham Norton Show, where the host noted that her iconic teen drama has been off the air for 20 years now.

The final episode, Chosen, was broadcast on May 20, 2003, on UPN, per IMDb.

“A week now people have been reminding me,” Sarah Michelle said. “But yes, 20 years.”

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Graham then asked the Wolf Pack star if she thought it was “annoying” or “lovely” that people are still talking about Buffy today.

“No, I love that people reference it!” Sarah Michelle insisted. “I just don’t need [a reminder of] the actual date and passage of time.”

She elaborated: “Because then it’s like, ‘Oh, now we realise how old you are.’ Otherwise I feel like it’s maybe a little bit of a mystery.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Michelle recently revealed another aspect of Buffy that she doesn’t exactly love, either.

While speaking to Who What Wear, the actor suggested that the iconic crucifix she sported on the show wasn’t something the fashionable Buffy Summers would actually wear.

“[The character] Angel gives her the cross in episode, I think, seven, maybe, of the first season. And obviously I was going to be wearing this cross forever, and it was just made by a prop master,” Sarah Michelle recalled, before quickly noting that she had nothing against prop masters.

“But you want your costume designer to design something that you’re going to have to wear with every outfit. And the thing is — you know, I have a tiny torso — and the thing is like this big,” she said, using her hands to indicate the large size.

“It felt like the Mr. T cross,” she joked.

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