Labour slams ‘VIP access' for India's Infosys due to Sunak-Akshata link

THE UK'S opposition Labour Party has criticised the granting of what they perceive as "VIP access" to Infosys, alleging that the Indian software services giant received favourable treatment in Britain due to prime minister Rishi Sunak's familial ties to its co-founder Narayana Murthy, his father-in-law.

According to a report in The Sunday Mirror based on a freedom of information request, trade minister Lord Dominic Johnson discussed Infosys' UK operations during a visit to the company's office in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, where it is headquartered, last April. A readout of the meeting indicates that Lord Johnson expressed a desire to see Infosys expand its presence in the UK and offered assistance to facilitate that expansion.

Labour's shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth raised concerns, telling the news outlet, "After the Tories handed billions in taxpayers' cash to cronies for duff PPE, the public will wonder why an outfit so personally close to Rishi Sunak appears to have been granted this VIP access. There are serious questions to answer."

Read: Rishi Sunak praises father-in-law Narayana Murthy: ‘He came from nothing and just had dream’

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy offer prayers at the Akshardham Temple, in New Delhi, on September 10, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Sunak's wife and Murthy's daughter, Akshata Murty, holds a 0.91 per cent stake in Infosys, valued at approximately 500 million, and has received substantial dividends from the company in the past financial year.

Read: Industrialist Sajjan Jindal backs Narayana Murthy’s ‘work culture’ idea, says Modi works for 14-16 hours

A briefing document for the meeting reportedly aimed to reassure Infosys about the prospects for the UK economy and the support available through the department for business and trade (DBT).

Lord Johnson is said to have outlined to the Infosys executives, whose names were redacted in the FOI documents, the advantages for the multinational as a result of the UK's high-potential individual visa scheme.

A DBT spokesperson defended the meeting, stating that the investment minister regularly engages with businesses and investors, including Indian companies, to promote the UK as an investment destination.

Infosys has been contacted for comment on these allegations, which come amid previous Opposition concerns regarding visa benefits sought by the company in the context of the proposed India-UK free trade agreement. news agency PTI reported.

The Labour has also questioned Akshata Murty's business decisions, including the liquidation of her investment venture Catamaran Ventures. The venture, established in 2013 with her husband as one of the directors, was dissolved as a going concern, according to a financial statement from last year.

Additionally, Murty's tax status, initially as a legal non-domicile taxpayer, raised scrutiny, prompting her to relinquish that status and commit to paying all her taxes in the UK. These issues have drawn attention to the personal finances of Sunak and his wife, particularly in relation to the prime minister's political career.

(With PTI inputs)