integrity, professionalism and accountability, and this morning on bbc breakfast one conservative mp, caroline nokesaside during the probe. i think nadhim should stand aside until this matter is all cleared up. i think the longer it all drags on, the worse it gets for him, so i hope the investigation is swift. actually, i think for his own sake, he should allow there to be some space between him being a government minister and this sort of investigation. i've just been over in parliament chatting to some mps and there is a feeling amongst some conservative mps that if this continues to drag on then things might have to change and the prime minister could be forced to act but nadhim zahawi's view is he did nothing wrong and he always behaved properly and wants to make the case to the ethics adviser during that investigation. the one government minister we have heard from on the airwaves this morning is chris philp and he argued nadhim zahawi should stay in post while the investigation plays out. i think it's reasonable that where there's an investigation that the person concerned is allowed to contin

but your colleague caroline nokes, _ thoughtful way.ings jk rowling about some of the thingst rowling said. she said some very reasonable things people are entitled to say and she has been treated very badly in response, and i think this discussion is best we talk about it thoughtfully and carefully, not rushing to a conclusion but waiting to see the detailed legal advice and then taking a careful thought through decision which we will then announce. _ ., ,, announce. some will say that if you t to announce. some will say that if you try to block — announce. some will say that if you try to block it. _ announce. some will say that if you try to block it, you _ announce. some will say that if you try to block it, you might— announce. some will say that if you try to block it, you might end - announce. some will say that if you try to block it, you might end up i try to block it, you might end up with a huge constitutional bust up with a huge constitutional bust up with the snp and the scottish government but we have run out of time for n

what about caroline nokes? for the time being. while this is sorted out, it could actually have bought perhaps more time . perhaps rishi sunak more time. the that he's still in the very fact that he's still in post as tory party chairman and the questions being asked, that's really diverting attention , everything else. attention, everything else. yeah, i think that's right. and i a lot of the public will be looking at this, the sort actually rishi sunak's actually seen rishi sunak's speech his five promises speech on his five promises and quite in the quite like in earlier in the month. then i'll be seeing month. and then i'll be seeing this and thinking, what are we just back to the boris days now of infighting scandal, you of infighting and scandal, you know? that's know? so, yeah, i think that's absolutely you seen absolutely right. and you seen ministers past admit ministers in the past admit they've got things step they've got things wrong. step down, top down, then return to the top table. increasingly h

the conservative mp caroline nokes has called for the party chairman nadhim zahawi to stand aside whileosition parties are demanding the former chancellor's resignation, after it emerged he'd paid a tax penalty as part of a settlement with revenue and customs, totalling around £5 million. mr zahawi insists he acted properly. let's speak to our political editor chris mason. chris, how much disquiet as that among conservatives over all of this? , , . , this? plenty, clive, privately. i was speaking _ this? plenty, clive, privately. i was speaking to one _ this? plenty, clive, privately. i. was speaking to one senior figure today said it was a political tragedy, that they liked mr zahawi, they said as somebody who had set up a polling company, he has a sense of the public mood, he is a good organiser, a perfect candidate to be party chairman. and yet plenty are saying, how can you do that role is you cannot go out in public with activists, you cannot talk to well off donors? and there was a sense of plenty, including at a senior level, that he has messed up and it is impossible to defend,

however when caroline nokes speaks against, it of nokes speaks against, it kind of makes them. makeso defend them. she least conservative she is the least conservative party where i am concerned party that where i am concerned with nadhim zahawi is. of course his whole stance on lockdowns and all and covid the vaccines and all that, i understood that he that, but i understood that he didn't any stake yougov didn't have any stake yougov anymore. understood the heat anymore. i understood the heat and from ukip and separated himself from ukip when politician but when he became a politician but all is about money all of this is about the money that he made from ukip we that he made from ukip and we know to the know that you back to the government every step the way on lockdowns mandates all of lockdowns on mandates all of that find that very that. so i find that very suspicious starting each suspicious starting to get each but different question but that's a different question what with here what we're dealing with here today mean i think the point today. i mean i think the point calvin

however when caroline nokes speaks against, it of nokes speaks against, it kind of makes them. makeso defend them. she least conservative she is the least conservative party where i am concerned party that where i am concerned with nadhim zahawi is. of course his whole stance on lockdowns and all and covid the vaccines and all that, i understood that he that, but i understood that he didn't any stake yougov didn't have any stake yougov anymore. understood the heat anymore. i understood the heat and from ukip and separated himself from ukip when politician but when he became a politician but all is about money all of this is about the money that he made from ukip we that he made from ukip and we know to the know that you back to the government every step the way on lockdowns mandates all of lockdowns on mandates all of that find that very that. so i find that very suspicious starting each suspicious starting to get each but different question but that's a different question what with here what we're dealing with here today mean i think the point today. i mean i think the point calvin

the conservative mp, caroline nokes says she's disappointed by the lack of action by the government inse to the committee's report . but the government says report. but the government says the suggests it approach might not be the best solution to support women eligible household will receive peak time electricity discounts again today in an effort to avoid blackouts. 26 suppliers have signed up to the national grid demand flexibility scheme between 530 and 6 pm. tonight after its first live test yesterday. it involves paying businesses and household aides to turn off electric appliances for an hour or two. this is gb news. more from me in half an houn news. more from me in half an hour. now it's back to . hour. now it's back to. bev very good morning . welcome to very good morning. welcome to bev turner today. thank you for joining me on gb news tv and dab radio. here's what's coming up on this morning show. nadhim zahawi is fighting for his political life this morning after ordered his after prime minister ordered his ethics to look into the ethics adviser to look into the conservati

here's what caroline nokes told bbc breakfast earlier. i hope the investigation is swift, but for his own sake he should allow there to be some space between him being a government minister and this sort of investigation. i don't think that's nadhim zahawi's plan, has been made perfectly clear by his allies he intends to fight his corner, he thinks he has behaved appropriately and wants to make that case. but the government has continued to face those questions about why it was said at pmqs last week that the matter had been dealt with. the answer seems to be that mr sunak did not know the full details and number ten did not find out until the weekend, that there had been a penalty paid as part of the final tax bill. we've heard this morning from a government minister who said he thinks when those additional questions were riaseed over the weekend rishi sunak decided to launch an investigation and insisted it was not necessary for nadhim zahawi to stand asidejust now. i think it's reasonable that. where there is investigation the person c

this caroline nokes who has this is caroline nokes who has come under criticism for some of her viewsr issues. for example, believe she said, you know , believe she said, you know, transwomen are women that sort of thing that men can self—identify. she also wrote a letter to the sun's editor about jeremy clarkson's column, which i personally thought was inappropriate. an attack on the free press . but now she's free press. but now she's getting involved in flexible working and suggesting a policy that was a labour policy , which that was a labour policy, which is that firms should have to justify not allowing flexible working when you apply for a job. and it sounds okay, great flexible working companies should do that, etcetera, etcetera . but it's piling on etcetera. but it's piling on more regulation. it would be piling on more regulation on to businesses when they're already struggling, particularly smaller businesses . and no one's forcing businesses. and no one's forcing you to take a job at a company. fundamentally, you can shop around when it comes to having a job. and so i don

caroline nokes, people like may disagree with them, like you may disagree with them, but they are experiencede back benches because they were tarred with being under a theresa may government. so i think we all needs a little bit more grown up viewing of what makes a good politician and it doesn't just have to be somebody that agrees with you. and it's a real shame because i think nadhim zahawi is, is very, very good and very effective. he now the effective. he is now in the backgrounds and you're not going to have that coming back, i don't think. but there is always news. always going be news. there's always going to be a of talent on the a pool of talent on the backbenches, there? backbenches, isn't there? because you wouldn't backbenches, isn't there? beithere you wouldn't backbenches, isn't there? beithere as you wouldn't backbenches, isn't there? beithere as in you wouldn't backbenches, isn't there? beithere as in the| wouldn't backbenches, isn't there? beithere as in the first|ldn't be there as mp in the first place. that's right. and you've got the newer intakes that got all the newer i

worth, worth seeing to her credit that this has been brought forward by caroline her position caroline nokesmittee. she's a conservative mp and they are asking that there is greater consideration given within the legislation to women experiencing the menopause . i experiencing the menopause. i think one thing that's been really healthy last really healthy over the last couple years a number high couple of years is a number high profile coming forward to profile women coming forward to speak how difficult their speak about how difficult their experience of the menopause has been , how difficult has been been, how difficult it has been to the necessary to access the necessary medicine. we operating at medicine. and we operating at the moment, as we all know, we talk about all the time in a serious workforce crisis, you know, had lot of know, post—covid, we had lot of people retiring at we are in a kind of panic about our ability to maintain a healthy workforce. and know that women leave and yet we know that women leave because it's so much discriminatory say demand for of men. but if women are

with that in mind, we have spoken in the last few minutes to caroline nokes, a senior conservative backbenchergation has been lodged by the prime minister, the right thing to do, it will get to the bottom of this and the prime minister will make his decision —— it has been launched. i don't think we should jump to any conclusions before the investigation in conclusion.— before the investigation in conclusion. ,, �* , ., conclusion. she didn't say he should resin, conclusion. she didn't say he should resign. but — conclusion. she didn't say he should resign. but he _ conclusion. she didn't say he should resign, but he should _ conclusion. she didn't say he should resign, but he should stand - conclusion. she didn't say he should resign, but he should stand aside i resign, but he should stand aside while this investigation went on, recuse himself and maybe go back to his job if he recuse himself and maybe go back to hisjob if he is cleared. that recuse himself and maybe go back to his job if he is cleared. that seems far enough and he is not a distraction. i far enough and he is not a distractio