Pressure on Starmer to sack Sheikh Hasina's niece over Bangladesh adviser Yunus's allegation

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing major pressure to sack his anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq, the niece of Bangladesh’s deposited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The calls started growing after Bangladesh’s current Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus condemned the use of properties she allegedly received through her aunt, who is facing her own share of legal scrutiny.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Yunus alleged that the Labour minister and her family should return the properties they bought during “plain robbery” by the former government. He insisted that the family’s properties in London should also be part of the ongoing inquiry into alleged fraud by members of the previous Bangladesh government overthrown last summer.

The Nobel Prize-winning economists urged Siddiq, who is currently serving as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, to apologise for the actions of her aunt during her 15-year-long reign in Bangladesh. Siddiq, who is a close friend of Starmer, has maintained that she is a victim of trumped-up allegations. Last week, she referred herself to an investigation by the prime minister’s adviser on ethics.

Why Siddiq is getting embroiled in Hasina’s mess?

According to an investigative report by the Sunday Times, Siddiq spent years living in a Hampstead property which was bought by an offshore company named in the Panama Papers. The company was connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen. The Labour MP from Hampstead & Highgate has denied benefiting from any sort of deal which is being examined by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), or any other allegedly corrupt venture.

While speaking from Dhaka, Yunus said that if a British politician was caught up in wrongdoing it was “a big deal”. “If a UK parliament member is involved, definitely it’s a big issue … we got used to [ Hasina] taking away everything.”

During the investigation in Bangladesh, it was revealed that the elites around Hasina have removed billions of dollars from Bangladesh using some of the cash to purchase London properties. In the midst of all this, the UK’s National Crime Agency, the equivalent of the FBI, has sent investigators to Bangladesh.

If the body finds something suspicious in the dealings they could seek to freeze the assets in the UK. “Absolutely, it’s about plain robbery. Nothing else," Yunus replied in reference to the properties used by members of Ms Hasina’s family in London.

Conservatives call for Siddiq’s resignation

While Yunus maintained that it was not his place to call for the British MP’s resignation, the Conservatives decided to take the onus of the task on themselves. The Opposition party leader Kemi Badenoch said that a diplomatic crisis could develop if she was not removed from office.

“The prime minister’s weak leadership on Siddiq suggests he is not as bothered by integrity as he claims,” the Conservative leader averred. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Financial Intelligence Unit demanded that banks provide the details of all transactions of accounts linked to Siddiq.

She attracted further scrutiny after it was reported that the Labour minister took free hospitality during the 2019 cricket World Cup match from a person who had close links to her aunt. While Starmer said that he is waiting for the findings of the ethics advisory committee over the matter, reports are emerging that the Labour Party already has a minister in mind to replace Siddiq.

With inputs from agencies.