1 day Ago By The Telegraph
Tulip Siddiq has referred herself to the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser over allegations surrounding her use of properties in London. The City minister , who is responsible for tackling corruption in the UK financial sector, has referred herself to the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, No 10 confirmed on Monday. Ms Siddiq had been due to join a Treasury delegation heading to China this week, but will now stay in the UK.
A source said: “Tulip wants to be in the UK so she is available to assist the independent adviser on ministerial standards.” Sir Laurie Magnus, who advises the Prime Minister on enforcing the ministerial code, will now look into claims about her past use of two flats in London. One, in Hampstead, north London, was given to Ms Siddiq to use by her teenage sister, Azmina.
The sisters are nieces to Sheikh Hasina , the authoritarian former prime minister of Bangladesh, who was removed from power last year after uprisings against her rule. The other property, in central London, was reportedly given to Ms Siddiq by a businessman linked to her aunt’s political party , the Awami League. ‘I am clear I have done nothing wrong’ The revelations about the London flats came after it emerged last month that Ms Siddiq and four family members were being investigated by Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission over allegations of embezzlement.
In a letter to Sir Laurie, seen by The Guardian, Ms Siddiq is said to have written: “In recent weeks I have been the subject of media reporting, much of it inaccurate, about my financial affairs and my family’s links to the former government of Bangladesh. “I am clear that I have done nothing wrong. However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters.
“I will obviously ensure you have all the information you need to do this.” Tory MPs have called for Sir Laurie to look into the way Ms Siddiq’s family acquired the apartment in central London. The Treasury minister initially said her parents bought the two-bedroom flat, which she lived in before she became an MP, according to the Mail on Sunday.
But last week Labour sources said that the property had actually been given as a gift to Ms Siddiq’s parents by “an acquaintance”. It was reportedly bought by Abdul Motalif, a Bangladeshi national with links to the political party run by Ms Hasina before she was ousted as the country’s prime minister in August 2024. During her tenure, opponents were attacked, arrested and secretly imprisoned as the regime carried out extrajudicial killings.
The other property, in Hampstead, was also reportedly given to Ms Siddiq’s family by an ally of her aunt. ‘I’ve got confidence in her’ Moin Ghani, a Bangladeshi lawyer who has represented Ms Hasina’s government and has been pictured with the former prime minister, handed the flat to Ms Siddiq’s sister, Azmina, in 2009, according to the Sunday Times. Land Registry documents state that the transfer was “not for money or anything that has a monetary value”.
Azmina was 18 at the time and about to begin her studies at Oxford University. Sir Keir Starmer said Ms Siddiq had acted “entirely properly” by making the referral and said he still had “full confidence” in her , despite calls for her to resign. Asked on Monday about allegations surrounding her properties, Sir Keir said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought in.
.. the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”.
