Treasury minister ‘very happy’ to work with Tulip Siddiq again if reappointed
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The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has said he would be happy to work again with Tulip Siddiq, who resigned as a minister yesterday, if the Prime Minister brought her back into Government. Darren Jones also rejected the idea that Ms Siddiq’s appointment showed a lack of judgment from Sir Keir Starmer.
Sir Keir accepted Ms Siddiq’s resignation as a Treasury minister “with sadness” but said he wanted “to be clear that the door remains open for you going forward”. Ms Siddiq quit after the ministerial standards watchdog said it was “regrettable” she was “not more alert” to the reputational risk caused by her links to her aunt’s political movement in Bangladesh.
Ms Siddiq’s aunt is the former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled into exile after being deposed last year and is facing an investigation by an anti-corruption commission in Bangladesh, with the Labour MP reportedly named as part of the case.
Ms Siddiq – who as City minister had responsibility for tackling financial corruption – has also come under intense scrutiny over her use of properties in London linked to her aunt’s allies. The Prime Minister’s ethics tsar, Sir Laurie Magnus, said he had not found any breach of the ministerial code but advised Sir Keir that he reconsider her responsibilities.
