Politicians named as Swiss account holders
Several politicians and political donors to both Labour and the Conservatives have been identified as holders of HSBC Swiss accounts.
Among those named are the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith who is on a list of account holders identified by a whistle blower who worked for HSBC and claims the bank helped Swiss account holders to avoid paying tax.
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson explained that holding a Swiss account is not illegal and many of those named have not yet had the opportunity to explain why they opened the accounts.
Mr Goldsmith issued a statement saying: "I have never had a Swiss bank account, and do not control any Swiss bank accounts. I have never sought or been given tax minimisation advice by HSBC, directly or indirectly. The media commentary around this is therefore wrong."
11 Feb 2015
- From the section UK Politics