Ms Murty’s company made headlines in May last year, when it was revealed by the Sunday Times that it held shares in Study Hall, an education start-up which had received almost £350,000 of UK grant money.
A company owned by the prime minister’s wife Akshata Murty, which received almost £350,000 of UK grant money, is now being mysteriously wound up, it has been revealed.
Murty’s investment company, Catamaran Ventures, is being liquidated, it was announced on the London Gazette, the official public record, published on December 28.
The move has raised a number of questions, with Carol Vorderman posting on X: “NEWS
Has non-dom, tax avoiding, Mrs @RishiSunak, Akshata Murthy, just rung up a home removals firm? #SunakHomeRemovals
“She applied to wind up her controversial company Catamaran Ventures on Dec 21st – 2 wks ago. I will post later about the many times the fund benefited from the public purse.”
Ms Murty’s company made headlines in May last year, when it was revealed by the Sunday Times that it held shares in Study Hall, an education start-up which had received almost £350,000 of UK grant money.
It was also reported in September that Catamaran Ventures UK was being wound down. A number of the startups that the fund backed received cash injections through taxpayer-backed schemes, including the upmarket furniture firm, New Craftsmen, which collapsed into liquidation in November 2022 after receiving £300,000 in taxpayer-funded loans.
Following news of the company’s closure, Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator, has written to Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, urging him to ensure that Rishi Sunak and his wife’s interests continue to be properly declared in the Register of Ministerial Interests following the company’s closure.
He also asked what the impact of Catamaran’s winding up would be on Study Hall and “any other companies in which Catamaran retains a stake”.
In his letter, which was posted on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, McFadden also highlighted the Prime Minister’s most recent appearance at the Commons Liaison Committee, during which he was grilled by a series of senior MPs in December over his interests. In today’s letter, McFadden highlighted how Sunak told the committee’s Tory chair Sir Bernard Jenkin he would write to the group of MPs if he had failed to mention any interests which he later decided were relevant to their questions.
McFadden asked: “Will this include any interests beyond Catamaran Ventures and cover responsibilities relating to the Prime Minister’s position both as a Minister and as an MP?”
He added: “It is vital that these questions are answered in the interests of, to quote the Prime Minister himself, ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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