Rishi Sunak’s controversial fund to support startups during the Covid pandemic invested nearly £2m in companies linked to his wife, Guardian analysis has found.
It is the fourth business linked to Murty revealed to have received an investment from the fund set up by Sunak to support startups when he was chancellor during the Covid pandemic.
Critics have raised concerns over a lack of transparency and the potential for a perceived conflict of interest given Sunak launched the scheme to help startups – a sector in which his wife is a known investor.
Sunak’s adviser on ministerial interests, whom he appointed earlier this year, has said that declaring all shareholdings would be an “excessive degree of intrusion into the private affairs of ministers that would be unreasonable, particularly in respect of their family members”.
However, in April 2023 Sunak had to declare that his wife had a shareholding in a childcare business called Koru Kids, which was due to benefit from a policy brought in at the budget.
A government spokesperson said: “The Future Fund successfully helped nearly 1,200 firms of all shapes and sizes across the country get through the pandemic by stimulating investment in a range of sectors from digital tech to life sciences.
The original article contains 1,120 words, the summary contains 206 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Rishi Sunak’s controversial fund to support startups during the Covid pandemic invested nearly £2m in companies linked to his wife, Guardian analysis has found.
It is the fourth business linked to Murty revealed to have received an investment from the fund set up by Sunak to support startups when he was chancellor during the Covid pandemic.
Critics have raised concerns over a lack of transparency and the potential for a perceived conflict of interest given Sunak launched the scheme to help startups – a sector in which his wife is a known investor.
Sunak’s adviser on ministerial interests, whom he appointed earlier this year, has said that declaring all shareholdings would be an “excessive degree of intrusion into the private affairs of ministers that would be unreasonable, particularly in respect of their family members”.
However, in April 2023 Sunak had to declare that his wife had a shareholding in a childcare business called Koru Kids, which was due to benefit from a policy brought in at the budget.
A government spokesperson said: “The Future Fund successfully helped nearly 1,200 firms of all shapes and sizes across the country get through the pandemic by stimulating investment in a range of sectors from digital tech to life sciences.
The original article contains 1,120 words, the summary contains 206 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!