Unanswered questions leave Nadhim Zahawi’s political fate in balance

Tory party chair still has some explaining to do over why he paid a penalty to HMRC to settle his tax affairs

Nadhim Zahawi, who won plaudits for his work as vaccines minister during the pandemic, now faces questions that threaten his political survival.

The Conservative party chair has been at the heart of a media storm over a disagreement with HMRC after the Guardian revealed on Friday that he had paid a penalty to the tax office as part of an estimated 5m tax settlement last year.