Tulip Siddiq resigns from Government after corruption probe
Share:
Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq has left the Government, No 10 said. Ms Siddiq, who was City and anti-corruption minister, had referred herself to the Prime Minister's ethics tsar after it was revealed she had lived in London homes linked to political allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh through her Awami League party with an iron fist from 1996.
Sir Keir Starmer had faced mounting pressure to sack the MP for Hampstead and Highgate amid an independent investigation into her conduct. But in a letter to the PM, Ms Siddiq said though she was found not to have breached the ministerial code, it was clear that her remaining in post would be "a distraction from the work of the government".
She went on: “Having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the Ministerial Code. As he notes, there is no evidence to suggest that I have acted improperly in relation to the properties I have owned or lived in.
"My family connections are a matter of public record, and when I became a minister I provided the full details of my relationships and private interests to the Government. "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 Government.
