Family ties to ousted Bangladesh PM heap further pressure on UK City minister

LONDON — City Minister Tulip Siddiq can’t be enjoying herself.  The Labour MP, who is already under investigation for failing to register rental income from a property in London, is under increased pressure because of her family connection to now-ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina, who fled to India on Monday after a 15-year authoritarian rule of the South Asian country, is Siddiq’s aunt.

Global human rights groups have accused the Hasina government of serious human rights violations, including killings and disappearances.

There is no suggestion Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015, is involved in any of the Bangladeshi government’s activities.

But her prominent role in the new Labour government, as minister for the U.K.’s prized City of London, is coming under renewed scrutiny. Siddiq did not respond to a request for comment for this article and has not commented publicly on the situation in Bangladesh or her aunt’s situation.

Questions raised

“Tulip has been an MP for quite a while, and it’s a very awkward look if the former Bangladesh PM ends up in the U.K., which is what Bangladeshi media are reporting,” said Max Hess, founder of Enmetena Advisory and a fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

“Labour was supposed to have a good vetting program, so how has nobody at any point thought this could be a problem in the future?”

POLITICO asked Labour headquarters about Siddiq’s stance on the former Bangladeshi government and her relation to it, as well as speculation over her ministerial position, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Her link to the now-deposed party could also see tensions with fellow Labour MPs. Rupa Huq, another MP with Bangladeshi heritage, took to social media on Monday calling the Hasina government a “despotic regime.” Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for a UN investigation into the recent events.

Trouble brewing

This is not the first time Siddiq has found herself under pressure since Labour entered government on July 5.

She faced a probe by parliament’s standards watchdog for failing to declare her ownership of a London apartment, which earns rental income, for a year. She also failed to declare that she was gifted four tickets to a theater show within the 28 days required for MPs.

In a ruling published Thursday, the parliamentary commissioner found the incidents “did demonstrate on the balance of probabilities that a breach of the rules had occurred” but accepted Siddiq’s argument the breaches were an “administrative error” and therefore “inadvertent in nature.”

But three City figures who meet regularly with Labour advisors and ministers believe the writing is on the wall. Siddiq was confirmed as economic secretary to the Treasury in the days following the election, having led the portfolio in opposition. But she has little experience in financial matters, and, speaking privately, lobbyists complain she has not been open enough to meeting with firms.

An influential lobbyist at an investment firm who has discussed the topic with Labour officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive topics, said recent events could force the government’s hands. The lobbyist said: “They didn’t want her in that job anyway, and they want any excuse to show they have higher standards. She’s had a target on her back, and the government wants to be seen to be squeaky clean early doors.”

One public affairs executive, who regularly meets with Treasury officials, said a Labour advisor told them — before the recent ousting of her aunt — that Siddiq has got “six months to do something, or she’s getting reshuffled.”

When this claim was put to HM Treasury, a spokesperson said: “We do not comment on anonymous speculation.”

source : politico