Tulip Siddiq should give up her ministerial responsibility for UK anti-corruption policy, a group of charities has said, amid concerns about her links to the former Bangladeshi regime of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina.
The UK Anti-Corruption Coalition – which includes international groups such as Oxfam, Transparency International and Spotlight on Corruption – released a statement on Monday night urging the Treasury minister to hand over her anti-corruption role.
Siddiq, who is also the Treasury minister in charge of financial services policy, is under pressure after weeks of revelations about her links to her aunt’s former regime, including the fact she lived in or owned properties paid for by Hasina’s allies.
Last week, Siddiq referred herself to Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial interests, but the group said she should lose the anti-corruption portfolio regardless of Magnus’s findings.
The group said in its statement: “[Siddiq] currently has a serious conflict of interests. The Treasury minister is in charge of the UK’s framework on money laundering regulations and economic crime enforcement, while she also has direct family ties to a deposed regime that may be investigated under that framework.
“This conflict stands regardless of the outcome of the investigation by the independent adviser into whether a breach of the ministerial code has occurred.”
It added: “There are several urgent and important decisions for the international credibility and reputation of the UK which the government needs to make that currently fall within the minister’s current brief … It is not clear that the minister is now in a position to take these decisions given the conflict of interests that has arisen.”
The group called for her to give her responsibility for countering economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance to another government minister.
Siddiq has been asked about her links to her aunt’s Awami League party – for whom she once worked as a spokesperson – for many years, but has always claimed not to be involved in Bangladeshi politics.
Last year, Hasina was ousted as prime minister and fled the country after days of student-led protests which prompted a heavy backlash from security forces, leading to the deaths of about 1,000 people.
Since then, new information has emerged about Siddiq’s connections to the ousted regime, including details of five properties in which she or her immediate family have lived which were originally purchased by people connected to the regime.
Over the weekend it was also revealed that former campaign posters for Siddiq were found in Hasina’s residence after she left the country.
Siddiq insists she has not done anything wrong, but referred herself to Magnus last week asking him to “independently establish the facts about these matters”.
Downing Street has continued to back her even as Magnus carries out his investigations.
A spokesperson for Starmer said: “When it comes to Tulip Siddiq, the prime minister has got full confidence in her. The minister has referred herself to the independent adviser … she’s acted entirely properly by referring herself to [the] independent adviser. That process is ongoing, so I’m not going to get ahead of that process.”