Sunak Struggles to Overcome U.K. Scandals

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s attempts to end his party’s scandals, tensions in Israel, and reactions to the Czech presidential elections.

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi for a “serious breach” in ministerial code. Zahawi had come under criticism over investigations into his personal taxes, specifically the revelation that he had settled a multimillion-pound unpaid tax bill while in charge of the country’s treasury. An independent probe found that Zahawi had not been transparent enough about private dealings with HM Revenue and Customs—Britain’s tax agency—when accepting senior ministerial roles.

In his letter to Zahawi, Sunak wrote that he had to make this decision, as he had promised when he became prime minister that the government “would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.”

The Conservative Party has been accused by critics of being the party of “sleaze” after a series of scandals during Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister. Sunak himself came under criticism last year over his wealthy wife’s “non-domicile” status, which allowed her to avoid paying U.K. taxes on foreign earnings. Sunak has also been fined twice by police: last year, for attending parties during lockdown; and just last week, for not wearing a seatbelt while riding in a car.

Sunak is now also under criticism for his handling of the Zahawi case—by some, for not firing him sooner, and by others, for appointing him in the first place. And though Sunak is trying to communicate that he is bringing integrity back to the prime minister’s office and the party, another scandal is on the horizon: Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is facing a bullying investigation that is reportedly more extensive than originally thought, with the Guardian reporting that at least 24 civil servants are involved with formal complaints.

Monday, Jan. 30: France and Australia hold 2+2 talks.

Tuesday, Jan. 31: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets his South Korean counterpart in Seoul.

Wednesday, Feb. 1: India’s budget is presented to Parliament.

Thursday, Feb. 2: A group of European Union commissioners visits Ukraine ahead of an EU summit on Ukraine.

Friday, Feb. 3: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Israel to make it easier for Israelis to carry guns. Following an attack outside an East Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven people, Israel’s security cabinet approved measures that would make it easier for Israelis to carry guns. “Whoever tries to harm us—we will harm them and everyone who assists them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on opening the meeting of Israel’s Security Cabinet. “When civilians have guns, they can defend themselves,” said Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister.

The Security Cabinet also said Israel would revoke the rights to social security of “the families of terrorists that support terrorism.” The Palestinian Authority condemned the new measures. The shooting at the synagogue was also followed by attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Pavel prevails. Former Czech Army chief Petr Pavel won a decisive victory in the second round of the Czech presidential elections, defeating his country’s former prime minister, Andrej Babis, with more than 58 percent of the vote. Babis had tried to imply that Pavel was a warmonger who would drag the country into conflict. Evidently, this was unconvincing to a majority of Czech voters. “Values such as truth, dignity, respect, and humility won,” Pavel said. “I am convinced that these values are shared by the vast majority of us. It is worth us trying to make them part of our lives and also return them to the Prague Castle and our politics.”

Pavel was joined in celebration by Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, whose victory back in 2019 was likewise seen as something of a repudiation against illiberal populism. A staunch supporter of continued aid to Ukraine, Pavel was also congratulated on Twitter by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he looked forward to close cooperation with the new president. The socially progressive, pro-European Pavel will mark a change from the current Czech president, the controversial Milos Zeman.

China claims COVID-19 cases have fallen. China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said its COVID-19 wave has peaked and that the number of critically ill individuals in hospitals is down more than 70 percent since the first week in January. However, some experts are concerned that the wave, which was concentrated at first in urban areas, has spread to more rural areas as people traveled for Lunar New Year festivities, and many people remain skeptical of official Chinese data.

• How India’s New Bridge to Kashmir Divided a Region by Junaid Kathju

• The World Economy No Longer Needs Russia by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian

• Erdogan’s Turkey Faces a Growing Exodus Ahead of Elections by Stefanie Glinski

At least they said sorry. Australian mining company Rio Tinto has lost a tiny, highly radioactive capsule containing Cesium-137 somewhere over an 870-mile stretch of Western Australia. The capsule, similar in size to a watch battery, is believed to have fallen off a truck on the road between a desert mine site and the city of Perth this month. Emergency services were notified and authorities have searched for the capsule, which could burn skin or cause cancer after prolonged exposure. The company has apologized.