Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer‘s Economic Secretary and Anti-Corruption Minister, Tulip Siddiq, has resigned from the British government after being named in a corruption investigation in Bangladesh. Siddiq, born in London to Bangladeshi migrants, is the niece of Bangladesh’s ousted premier, Sheikh Hasina, and the granddaughter of its first president.
The new regime in Bangladesh accuses Siddiq’s family of embezzling billions of dollars from a nuclear power project. Siddiq allegedly helped organize meetings with the Kremlin, which financed much of the scheme. Siddiq lives in a multi-million pound home in London owned by a businessman said to be linked to her aunt’s party. She also owns a London apartment said to have been gifted to her by one of her aunt’s allies. Bangladesh’s new leader, Muhammad Yunus, wants Starmer to transfer the properties to the Bangladeshi government if it is proven they are the spoils of “plain robbery.”
Starmer resisted calls to sack Siddiq, and she claims an “independent review” has found “there is no evidence to suggest that I have acted improperly.” Nevertheless, she has tendered her resignation to avoid becoming a “distraction” for the government.
She remains a Member of Parliament (MP) for the governing Labour Party, with the executive and legislature being blended in the British constitutional system.
An independent review has confirmed that I have not breached the Ministerial Code and there is no evidence to suggest I have acted improperly.
Nonetheless, to avoid distraction for the Government, I have resigned as City Minister.
Here is my full letter to the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/kZeWZfEsei
— Tulip Siddiq (@TulipSiddiq) January 14, 2025