PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to remove Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq following allegations linked to her family’s ties with Bangladesh's former prime minister.
Siddiq has faced scrutiny over her connection to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August after being ousted by a student-led uprising that ended her long tenure as prime minister.
Earlier this month, Siddiq referred herself to Starmer's standards adviser after allegations surfaced that she lived in properties connected to her aunt and the Awami League party, which Hasina previously led. Siddiq has denied any wrongdoing.
When asked on Monday about Siddiq’s position in the government, senior minister Pat McFadden told Sky News she had "done the right thing" by referring herself for investigation. He stated that the standards adviser has the authority to investigate such allegations.
"That is what he is doing, and that is the right way to deal with this," McFadden said.
However, opposition leaders are calling for Siddiq’s dismissal.
"I think it's untenable for her to carry out her role," said Conservative finance spokesman Mel Stride on Times Radio. "It's inappropriate for Tulip to be in the position that she holds at the moment. She is the anti-corruption minister in government."
Corruption investigation in Bangladesh
In December, Siddiq was named in a Bangladesh anti-corruption commission probe into the alleged embezzlement of £4.13 billion by Hasina’s family related to a Russian-funded nuclear power project.
Bangladeshi money laundering investigators have since directed major banks to provide transaction records related to Siddiq.
As Treasury minister, Siddiq oversees the UK’s financial services sector and anti-corruption policies.
Over the weekend, a Sunday Times report claimed Siddiq lived for years in a London flat owned by an offshore company linked to two Bangladeshi businessmen. The property was later gifted to a Bangladeshi barrister connected to Hasina, her family, and her former government.
The report also stated that Siddiq and her family used several other London properties purchased by members or associates of the Awami League party.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has called for a thorough investigation into these claims.
He told the newspaper that the properties might be tied to broader corruption allegations against Hasina’s government, which he described as the "plain robbery" of billions from Bangladesh’s treasury.
(With inputs from AFP)
Apsana Begum
