Special Report :
Labour MP and Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq faces mounting scrutiny over her ties to alleged corruption linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister.
Siddiq’s controversial real estate deals, connections to money laundering, and her silence on human rights abuses committed during Hasina’s regime have drawn widespread criticism.
Adding to the controversy, Siddiq, a naturalized UK citizen who sought asylum in her teenage years, has been accused of ignoring her moral responsibility to advocate against atrocities carried out by her aunt’s government. Despite this, Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to shield her from calls for resignation.
At the core of the allegations against Siddiq are her links to several UK properties, which critics claim were acquired or supported through connections to individuals tied to the Awami League:
1. King’s Cross Flat:
In 2004, Siddiq was gifted a two-bedroom flat near King’s Cross by Abdul Motalif, a developer with ties to the Awami League. The flat, purchased in 2001 for £195,000, was transferred to Siddiq without any payment. Today, it is valued at approximately £650,000.
2. Finchley Home:
Siddiq currently rents a £2.1 million home in Finchley owned by Abdul Karim, an Awami League UK executive. The arrangement has raised questions about the influence of foreign political figures on UK politicians.
3. Hampstead Flat:
In 2013, Siddiq and her husband purchased a flat in Hampstead for £865,000. The mortgage was paid off using their own funds, but Siddiq was reprimanded in 2023 for failing to declare rental income from the property.
These real estate transactions have attracted scrutiny as UK investigators probe whether funds siphoned from the country during Hasina’s tenure were used to acquire foreign assets.
Siddiq, born in UK to Bangladeshi parents, sought asylum in the UK as a teenager and later became a naturalized British citizen.
Her family cited political persecution as the reason for seeking refuge from the very regime her aunt would later lead. She attended Scholastica School in Dhaka before studying English Literature at the University College London.
She subsequently received a master’s degree from Kings College in Politics, Policy, and Government. Despite having no background in economics or finance, she has been serving as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister since 9 July 2024 in UK.
Given her history traveling the asylum route to UK, Siddiq has been accused of turning a blind eye to the actions of Hasina’s government, which has been widely condemned for human rights abuses and political oppression.
In 2017, Siddiq faced backlash when asked to advocate for Ahmad bin Quasem, a British-educated lawyer who was allegedly abducted by Hasina’s government.
Instead of responding with compassion, Siddiq lashed out at journalists, saying, “Are you aware that I am a British MP and that I’m born in London? Are you implying that I’m a Bangladeshi?” Her response was widely seen as dismissive and evasive.
During the 2024 student-led uprising in Bangladesh, which saw over 1,000 civilians killed by security forces under Hasina’s regime, Siddiq remained silent. Despite calls from human rights groups and members of the Bangladeshi diaspora to speak out, Siddiq refrained from addressing the violence or urging her aunt to cease the brutal crackdown.
Critics argue that Siddiq’s refusal to act contradicts the values of her ministerial role, which includes oversight of anti-corruption measures and human rights policies. Her silence has been interpreted as a convenient avoidance of accountability tied to her familial connections.
Siddiq and Starmer’s political relationship dates back to 2014, when Siddiq, already selected as Labour’s candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, supported Starmer’s bid for the neighbouring constituency of Holborn and St Pancras.
Their connection solidified after they entered Parliament together in 2015.Siddiq was one of the first MPs to publicly nominate Starmer when he ran for Labour leader in 2020. Her backing carried weight due to her influence in Labour Friends of Bangladesh, a party pressure group with strong ties to Siddiq and the Bangladeshi diaspora.
Beyond their political alliance, Siddiq is considered one of Starmer’s few close personal friends in politics. The pair’s families have reportedly spent significant time together, even going on holiday together.
In May 2018, Starmer joined Siddiq on the campaign trail for local elections, describing her as “my good friend and colleague.” Siddiq has similarly lauded Starmer, calling him “a good friend through thick and thin” after his victory in the 2020 Labour leadership contest.
Starmer’s defense of Siddiq contrasts sharply with his treatment of other MPs embroiled in controversies. Louise Haigh, a former transport secretary, resigned swiftly in November after a historic fraud conviction surfaced, despite having declared the offence years earlier. Haigh was a senior cabinet minister at the time, yet Starmer failed to back her publicly, reportedly urging her to resign.
Siddiq, by comparison, holds a relatively junior ministerial position as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. Despite facing far graver allegations, including ties to money laundering and benefiting from her family’s alleged corruption; Starmer has remained steadfast in his support, raising questions about double standards within the Labour Party.
Matt Vickers, the shadow home office minister, has criticized Starmer’s approach, stating that the Prime Minister “shouldn’t let his close friendship with her get in the way of doing the right thing.”
A white paper presented to Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser Nobel Laureate and economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus revealed that $234 billion was siphoned out of the country during Sheikh Hasina’s rule between 2009 and 2023.
The funds, described as the product of inflated development project budgets, political extortion, and bribery, were allegedly laundered to countries including the UK, India, the UAE, Canada, and Singapore.
Reports from India Today suggest that part of this illicit wealth may have influenced elections in multiple countries, including the UK and India. Critics argue that the Awami League’s financial network, which Siddiq has benefited from, has undermined the integrity of democratic systems abroad.
Up to $24 billion of the $60 billion allocated to Bangladesh’s Annual Development Programme is estimated to have been lost to corruption. Infrastructure projects under Hasina’s regime were significantly more expensive than comparable projects in neighboring countries, with inferior quality to match.
Siddiq’s cousin, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Hasina’s son, has been implicated in widespread banking irregularities that facilitated the siphoning of wealth from Bangladesh.
Reports indicate that Joy regularly intervened in decisions at Bangladesh Bank, influencing the approval of large loans, new bank licenses, and the rescheduling of default loans for politically connected businesses.
These banking manipulations contributed significantly to the financial instability and corruption that plagued Bangladesh during Hasina’s rule.
Despite the gravity of these allegations, Siddiq retains the backing of Keir Starmer, whose personal and political ties to her date back to their shared rise in 2014. Starmer’s loyalty, however, has drawn criticism for perceived double standards, as other MPs have faced harsher consequences for lesser controversies.
