It has emerged that Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq got her break in politics through her aunt, as Kemi Badenoch has called for Keir Starmer to sack her amid allegations her family embezzled up to £3.9billion from Bangladesh’s infrastructure spending.
Fresh questions have emerged about Siddiq’s political rise following revelations about her early career in Camden, North London.
A video shows former Camden mayor Nasim Ali acknowledging pressure from Siddiq’s mother Sheikh Rehana and Awami League figure Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury to support Siddiq’s career.
Ali admitted that Chowdhury would ask him “all the time . . . to support Tulip”.
The former mayor also referenced Siddiq’s grandfather, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, calling him “a great leader”.
While Ali has since insisted any roles Siddiq received were based on “hard work, knowledge, commitment and dedication”, the revelations add to mounting concerns about her political connections.
The controversy centres on claims that Siddiq benefited from London properties linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina
PA
This comes as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Siddiq, who serves as anti-corruption minister, had become “a distraction when the government should be focused on dealing with the financial problems it has created”.
The controversy centres on claims that Siddiq benefited from London properties linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the recently deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
The allegations are part of a wider probe by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission into Hasina’s regime.
At the heart of the allegations is a £700,000 North London flat, reportedly gifted to Siddiq’s family by an ally of her aunt.
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Sheikh Hasina and her family stand accused of embezzling billions of pounds from Bangladesh during her two-decade rule.
The former Bangladeshi prime minister, who recently fled the country, has been characterised as an autocrat whose government ruthlessly suppressed dissent.
Siddiq, who currently serves as economic secretary to the Treasury, holds responsibility for tackling economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina,” Badenoch noted.
Bangladesh’s new leader Muhammad Yunus told the Sunday Times that properties used by Siddiq should be investigated and returned to his government if they were obtained through “plain robbery”.
Yunus’s comments mark a significant escalation in pressure on the Treasury minister, as a foreign head of state directly questions her property connections.
The intervention comes as Siddiq faces mounting scrutiny over her family’s ties to the former regime.
“It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq,” Badenoch posted on X, highlighting that Starmer had “appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption”.
“It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq,” Badenoch posted on X
PA
In response to the allegations, Siddiq has referred herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s standards adviser.
“I am clear that I have done nothing wrong,” she wrote in her letter to Sir Laurie, addressing what she called “inaccurate” media reporting about her financial affairs and family links to Bangladesh’s former government.
Downing Street confirmed Sir Laurie would conduct a “fact-finding” exercise to determine if further action was needed.
Despite the mounting pressure, Sir Keir Starmer has maintained his support for the embattled minister, telling reporters he had confidence in Siddiq and that she had “acted entirely properly” by referring herself for investigation.