Tulip Siddiq, a member of the British Parliament, a city minister and niece of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, is facing serious allegations of financial corruption, leading to calls from various political quarters for her dismissal from her ministerial position.
The latest call for her removal came from Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition in Britain, who demanded Tulip Siddiq's dismissal from her ministerial post, reports the BBC.
BBC reported on Sunday (12 January), that Tulip Siddiq, a member of the ruling Labour Cabinet, serves as the economic secretary to the Treasury and City Minister. Her responsibilities include managing the internal corruption within the UK’s financial markets.
However, a parallel investigation is underway in her homeland, Bangladesh, where she and four family members are accused of embezzling approximately US$400 million from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.
Tulip Siddiq is also embroiled in controversy regarding residence in flats gifted by close associates of Sheikh Hasina.
According to the BBC, Kemi Badenoch has urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to dismiss Tulip Siddiq from her Treasury role.
In a post on the social media platform X, the Conservative Party leader stated, "It is time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq."
In her post, Badenoch further criticised the appointment, suggesting that Prime Minister Starmer had appointed a personal friend to an anti-corruption ministerial role, who herself faces corruption allegations.
Badenoch stressed that the government should focus on addressing the financial problems it has created, but Siddiq has become an impediment to such efforts. Moreover, the Bangladeshi government has expressed serious concerns regarding Siddiq's links to Sheikh Hasina’s administration.
Recently, Conservative MPs have also called for Siddiq’s resignation. Members of the UK’s principal opposition party have demanded that Siddiq provide an acceptable explanation for the gifted flats or step down from her Treasury ministerial position.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman remarked that Siddiq must clarify her property transactions and explain the circumstances surrounding them, adding that failure to do so would render her incapable of continuing in her ministerial role.
Tulip Siddiq, however, has categorically denied any involvement in corruption and has called for an investigation into her conduct by Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on Ministerial Standards. In a letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, Siddiq asserted, "I have done nothing wrong."
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed his full confidence inTulip Siddiq.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister dismissed reports of a shortlist being prepared for her replacement, calling them "entirely untrue."
