Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Calls grow for Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq amid graft allegations

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.

Tulip-Siddiq-Starmer

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. (Photo: X/@TulipSiddiq)

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)

More For You

Rahim Al-Hussaini

Prince Rahim is the eldest son of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah.

Rahim Al-Hussaini succeeds Aga Khan IV as leader of Ismaili Muslims

PRINCE Rahim Al-Hussaini has been appointed as the 50th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, of Ismaili Muslims following the unsealing of the will of his late father, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.

The announcement was made by the Aga Khan Development Network on Wednesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bank-of-England-Getty
A general view of the Bank of England on December 19, 2024 in London. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Bank of England set to reduce interest rate amid weak growth

THE BANK OF ENGLAND is expected to cut its key interest rate on Thursday as it seeks to support weak economic growth, even though inflation remains above target.

Analysts predict the central bank will reduce borrowing costs by a quarter point to 4.50 per cent at its first rate meeting of the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
aga-khan-reuters-lead

A long-time friend of the late Queen Elizabeth, Aga Khan IV was appointed KBE in 2004. (Photo: Reuters)

Aga Khan IV: Bridging faith, philanthropy, and development

HIS HIGHNESS Prince Karim al-Husseini, known as the Aga Khan, led the Ismaili Muslim community for nearly seven decades while building one of the world’s largest private development networks.

As the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, he combined religious leadership with extensive philanthropic efforts across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aga-Khan-Getty

Over the years, the Aga Khan became both a prominent philanthropist and a business magnate, balancing religious leadership with global development work. (Photo: Getty Images)

Aga Khan, Ismaili Muslim leader and philanthropist, dies at 88

HIS HIGHNESS Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community and head of a vast philanthropic network, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.

His Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community announced that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, passed away in Portugal, surrounded by his family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life sentences for the deaths of babies at neo-natal units in northwest England between 2015 and 2016.

Review launched into Lucy Letby case after experts challenge evidence

A REVIEW has been launched into the case of Lucy Letby, a nurse sentenced to life imprisonment for killing seven newborn babies, as medical experts argue there was no evidence to support her conviction.

Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life sentences for the deaths of babies at neo-natal units in northwest England between 2015 and 2016. She was convicted of murdering seven newborns and attempting to kill seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital, making her the most prolific child serial killer in modern UK history.

Keep ReadingShow less