A WHITEHALL inquiry has been launched into how the tax status of Rishi Sunak’s wife was leaked to the press, according to reports. 

Akshata Murty dramatically announced on Friday that she would pay taxes in Britain following public fury over her non-dom status, which is estimated to have saved her £2.1 million a year in taxes. 

Labour said that the scandal raises questions about the Chancellor’s judgement and could represent a conflict of interest. 

Reports said that a probe is now underway to find out how details of Ms Murty’s tax affairs were shared with the Independent following demands by Mr Sunak. 

But Labour MP Diane Abbott said that Mr Sunak’s anger over the leak shows he “still does not get it.” 

“The issue is not the leak. The problem is that he and his wife thought that they could get away with dodging British tax in the first place,” she tweeted today. 

Ms Murty owns £700m in shares of the Indian IT firm Infosys, from which she received £11.6m in dividend income last year. As a non-domiciled resident, Ms Murty is not required by law to pay tax in Britain on her overseas income. 

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News that there shouldn’t be special arrangements allowing the Chancellor’s household to get away with paying less tax. 

“The lack of transparency does raise questions about conflict of interest but also it is about basic fairness,” she said. 

“I don’t think the Chancellor gets that. That raises real questions about his judgement.

“This is lawful, but the question is whether it is ethical.”

Tory ministers have continued to defend the beleaguered Chancellor, with Policing Minister Kit Malthouse describing his colleague as a “remarkable force for good” in British politics.