Britain’s anti-corruption minister, Tulip Siddiq, announced her resignation on Tuesday amid a growing controversy over her ties to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the ousted former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Siddiq stepped down from her role as economic secretary to the Treasury, stating that the issue had become “a distraction from the work of the government.”
The resignation comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced increasing pressure to remove Siddiq following her referral to the U.K. government’s ethics watchdog. This followed reports that Siddiq had lived in London properties linked to her aunt. Sheikh Hasina was ousted last year after weeks of mass protests in Bangladesh.
Reacting to the resignation, Starmer said he was saddened by Siddiq’s departure, emphasizing, “The independent adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus, has assured me he found no breach of the Ministerial Code and no evidence of financial improprieties on your part.”
Siddiq’s role in tackling corruption in financial markets came under scrutiny last month when she was named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleged that Siddiq’s family played a role in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, a deal said to involve large-scale embezzlement.
The controversy also involved reports in the Sunday Times and Financial Times, which alleged that Siddiq used two London properties—a two-bedroom flat near King’s Cross and a house in Hampstead—provided by associates of Bangladesh’s Awami League, the political party led by Hasina.
While Laurie Magnus cleared Siddiq of breaching ministerial standards, he highlighted the reputational risks tied to her familial connections. “It is regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks — both to her and the government — arising from her close family’s association with Bangladesh,” Magnus said.
Siddiq’s resignation marks a significant setback for Starmer’s government, as questions linger about the broader implications of the controversy.
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