The City minister referred herself to the U.K.’s sleaze watchdog last Monday following multiple media reports — heavily disputed by Siddiq — that she benefited from her family’s rule of Bangladesh through gifts of London real estate. There were further questions about her attendance at an event in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin to celebrate the signing of a Bangladesh-Russia energy deal.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had repeatedly stressed the City minister had his full confidence, telling journalists as recently as Monday evening that Siddiq behaved “properly” by referring herself to the standards watchdog.
But, in a letter to Starmer announcing her resignation — the second from the Labour government in two months — Siddiq said she had shared the “full details of my finances and living arrangements, both present and historic” with the PM’s ethics adviser Laurie Magnus.
“As you know, having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the ministerial code,” she said, referring to the ethics rules that govern the conduct of British ministers.
Siddiq said the watchdog had found “no evidence” of wrongdoing, and stressed that she had provided ”the full details of my relationships and private interests to the government” when becoming a minister as well as recusing herself from any matters relating to Bangladesh.
“However, it is clear that continuing in my role as economic secretary to the treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the government,” she added.