Who is Tulip Siddiq, UK minister and Sheikh Hasina's niece, named in Bangladesh corruption probe?

A UK minister has been named in a corruption investigation initiated by Bangladeshi authorities as officials in Dhaka probe allegations of embezzlement.

Tulip Siddiq, 42, a Labour minister, is accused of assisting Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s recently ousted prime minister, in diverting £5.2 billion reserved for eight major infrastructure projects, including a nuclear power facility.

ALSO READ | Is Muhammad Yunus preparing Bangladesh for crisis or elections?

The claim is part of a broader probe by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into Hasina’s activities.

Who is Tulip Siddiq?

Tulip Siddiq is the niece of Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Currently serving as the Treasury’s Economic Secretary, Siddiq is responsible for dealing with corruption in UK financial markets. After the Labour Party’s victory in July, she was appointed as the anti-corruption minister and City Minister, overseeing the UK’s financial services sector.

More from Explainers

What the Zuck? Why Mark Zuckerberg’s neighbours are angry with him In Graphics | How Indians used UPI in July

Her father was a university professor in Dhaka, while her mother, Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister, was granted political asylum in the UK, BBC said in a report. Siddiq’s parents met and married in London before settling in Hampstead with their three children - Siddiq, her elder brother, and her younger sister.

Siddiq was raised in a Muslim household but her family embraced “multicultural Britain… in the heart of the [local] Jewish community.”

Her maternal grandfather, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was Bangladesh’s first president. In 1975, a military coup led to his assassination along with most of his family. Siddiq’s mother and aunt survived because they were outside the country then.

Editor’s Picks

1

'Bangladesh in chaos...Yunus a greedy man': What exiled Sheikh Hasina said in her first public speech | Full text 2

The rise and fall of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's 'Iron Lady'

As a child, Siddiq met prominent leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, and Mother Teresa, and her family was invited to the White House. Siddiq joined the Labour Party at 16, citing the National Health Service (NHS) and the care her disabled father received as her main reasons.

According to BBC, she considers former cabinet minister Barbara Castle as her political heroine and described her mother and maternal aunt as “two very strong feminists.” Before entering politics, she worked with organisations such as Amnesty International, Save the Children, and the Greater London Authority.

She began her political career as a councillor in Camden, north London. When Glenda Jackson, an Oscar-winning actress turned MP, announced her retirement, Siddiq was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

ALSO READ | Why Bangladesh pulled plug on key internet deal with India

First elected as an MP in 2015, Siddiq was among 36 Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for party leader, though she supported Andy Burnham in the contest. She went on to win elections in 2017, 2019, and 2024, each time increasing her majority. In 2016, she was appointed shadow education minister but resigned three months later to oppose triggering Brexit.

Notably, she is largely recognised for her campaign to free her constituent, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national who was held in Iran for nearly six years.

Since 2021, she has led Labour’s policy development for the financial services sector, referred to as ’the City’ after London’s financial district. In May, she told the Financial Times that Labour would push the Financial Conduct Authority to eliminate barriers to competitiveness and growth.

Married in 2013, Siddiq made history in 2019 when she became the first MP to vote by proxy after attending a crucial Brexit vote in a wheelchair just two days before giving birth to her second child, according to BBC.

Siddiq succeeds Bim Afolami, a former HSBC banker, in leading Labour’s efforts in financial services, taking over from the previous Conservative administration.

Why has she been named in the corruption probe?

Siddiq is being investigated by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations linked to a nuclear deal involving the Russian state-owned firm Rosatom.

The Daily Mail reported that the agreement was signed in 2013 in the presence of Siddiq, Sheikh Hasina, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, before Siddiq entered Parliament.

Notably, the ACC is also examining allegations against members of Siddiq’s family, including her maternal cousin, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, based in the US, and her paternal uncle, Tariq Siddiq, who is reportedly in hiding in Bangladesh. Court filings have named all three individuals.

An ACC official said, “The commission is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability, irrespective of the stature of those involved.”

Syed Faruk, UK general secretary of the Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s party, has dismissed the accusations as “100 per cent politically motivated.”

ALSO READ | With currency notes, how Bangladesh is erasing Mujibur Rahman's legacy

Faruk, a family friend of Siddiq, told the Daily Mail, “They are attacking Tulip because she is the niece of our honourable prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.”

Meanwhile, Matt Vickers, Conservative shadow home office minister said, “The fact Labour’s anti-corruption minister is reportedly embroiled in a corruption case is the latest stain on Keir Starmer’s judgement.”

“It is high time she came clean. The British public deserve a government that is focused on their priorities, not distracted by yet another scandal.”

Hasina, ousted in August following violent anti-government protests, is currently in India. Her government, which was in power for over 20 years, faced criticism for suppressing dissent. The new Bangladeshi administration has accused Hasina of crimes, including “crimes against humanity” linked to protests where hundreds were killed.

ALSO READ | 1975 and 2024: The story of Sheikh Hasina’s two stays in India

Keir Starmer defends Siddiq

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed support for Siddiq, confirming that she will continue her role overseeing anti-corruption efforts, BBC reported citing Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Siddiq has “denied any involvement in the claims,” an official spokesperson told the British broadcaster.

However, Siddiq has stepped back from any political decisions related to Bangladesh, the report said.

Rosatom issued the following statement, “Rosatom State Corporation refutes provocative statements about the implementation of the Rooppur NPP project that have appeared in the media.”

“Rosatom is committed to a policy of openness and the principle of combating corruption in all its projects and maintains a transparent procurement system. External audits regularly confirm the openness of the business processes of the project. Rosatom State Corporation is ready to defend its interests and reputation in court.”

“We consider false statements in the media as an attempt to discredit the Rooppur NPP project, which is being implemented to solve the country’s energy supply problems and is aimed at improving the well-being of the people of Bangladesh.”

With inputs from agencies