Keir Starmer, Britain’s opposition leader, said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has “questions to answer” after reports emerged that his wife holds a stake in a company that was given public money.
Sunak’s spouse reportedly Akshata Murty controls an investment company called Catamaran Ventures Ltd and a report by the Sunday Times mentioned that Catamaran has a stake in Study Hall, which is an education start-up that an investment company and was given almost £350,000 of UK grant money.
The Times reports noted that Study Hall was founded by Sofia Fenichell, who previously ran a company called Mrs Wordsmith which collapsed in 2021.
On the grant award by Innovate UK, the Study Hall has been termed as a firm that is “developing a cutting-edge AI-based adaptive learning and assessment platform that can accelerate student progress”.
“I think there are questions to answer in relation to this, there seems to be an emerging pattern of behaviour here, so I think the sooner those questions are answered the better,” Labour leader Starmer said while speaking from Blackpool as he campaigned ahead of Thursday’s local elections.
This update comes amid Sunak facing a probe into concerns that he did not properly declare Akshata’s shares in a childcare agency that benefited from the Budget.
Innovate said that the adaptive learning and assessments being developed by Study Hall could “help optimise the large sums of public and private funds invested in high-dosage tutoring and school intervention programmes” when it also announced the funding for the 12-month period between August 2022 and August 2023.
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“Study Hall boosts engagement and increases teaching and learning efficiency, saving taxpayers, teachers, parents and students time and money,” the grant abstract added.
A report by The Independent stated that at the time of the statement’s submission, a confirmation statement dated 31 August suggests Catamaran Ventures UK Ltd held 2,474 shares in Study Hall but The Times report said there were no documents that can show that the shares had been sold.
As quoted by the UK-based media outlet, a spokesperson for UK Research and Innovation said: “All Innovate UK funding decisions are made through a rigorous, transparent process by independent experts.”
Starmer also criticised Sunak recently after the resignation of his deputy, Dominic Raab over bullying complaints. “I think there’s a weakness from top to bottom. You know, strong government that delivers, requires leadership, and we haven’t got that,” he said during a visit to a hospital in Middlesborough.
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