Integrity is Important to Me: UK Prime Minister Sunak Justifies Termination of Cabinet Minister

On Monday, British Prime Member Rishi Sunak defended his decision to dismiss a Cabinet minister who had been discovered to have violated the ministerial code on his tax troubles and vowed to bring integrity back to politics.

The British Indian leader has come under fire from the opposition for his delay in removing Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi from his Cabinet as a minister without portfolio after it was discovered he had paid a fine to the nation's tax authority.

Sunak said he had taken prompt action by inviting the independent ethics advisor to look into the matter during the introduction of his government's new emergency care plan for the National Health Service (NHS).

While on a visit to County Durham in northeastern England, he declared, "What I have done is follow a process, which is the proper approach."

Integrity is very important to him. "All of you want to see that government is run correctly, with integrity, and that there is responsibility when individuals don't act in the manner that they should, and that's what we've done," he added.

Additionally, he promised to "take whatever actions are required to bring integrity back into politics."

"I am unable to change what occurred before I became prime minister. I believe you can hold me accountable for how I handle the issues that develop while I'm in charge, he continued.

As part of Sunak's stated aims to improve the way the NHS distributes services to adapt to changing requirements, especially by extending treatment outside of hospitals, it coincided with the UK government's publication of a new Urgent and Emergency Care Plan.

"The NHS has experienced unprecedented strain this winter," said Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS. "The 'twindemic' of flu and COVID has become a reality, coupled with increasing demand for all services, from GP visits to A&E [accident & emergency] attendances and ambulance call outs."

The key to recovery, according to her, is to increase community care and treat more patients at home since it is healthier for the patients and their families and relieves burden on the NHS.

With services available 24 hours a day, urgent community response teams will be expanded as part of the new strategy to improve the number of referrals and patients treated by a variety of health and social care providers within two hours.