UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is contemplating the removal of City Minister Tulip Siddiq from her ministerial post, according to reports from multiple sources.
Potential candidates to succeed Siddiq have already been shortlisted, signalling a possible shift in the UK treasury’s leadership, reported The Times on Friday (10 January).
Despite increased pressure on Tulip Siddiq to resign due to an ongoing financial corruption investigation in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Starmer had previously stood by her.
However, recent developments indicate a change in stance.
According to The Times, Tulip Siddiq’s close association with former Bangladeshi autocrat Sheikh Hasina has raised concerns.
Senior aides to UK Prime Minister Starmer are reportedly considering who might replace Siddiq if she is compelled to resign.
The Times further revealed that senior officials identified potential candidates over the past weekend, prior to Tulip Siddiq’s public request for an investigation into the allegations against her.
This request was made to Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial standards.
Although Prime Minister Starmer has expressed his full confidence in Tulip Siddiq, and a Downing Street spokesperson has dismissed the shortlist reports as “completely untrue,” insiders suggest that discussions about her successor have taken place informally within Starmer's inner circle.
Tulip Siddiq, a member of Britain’s ruling Labour cabinet, serves as economic secretary to the treasury and city minister, responsible for managing internal financial market corruption.
She is currently under investigation in her native Bangladesh, where she and four family members are accused of embezzling approximately $400 million from a nuclear power plant project.
The Times report underscores the gravity of the situation, placing Siddiq’s future in the UK government under intense scrutiny amid these serious allegations.
