LONDON: Britain’s financial services and anti-corruption minister resigned on Tuesday after weeks of questions about her financial ties to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladesh prime minister last year. Tulip Siddiq, 42, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week said he had full confidence in her. The resignation, the second government minister in two months, is a blow to Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since his Labor Party won the general election in July. Siddiq was given the portfolio for financial services policy after the election, a role that included responsibility for anti-money laundering measures. In a statement, Siddiq said that while an investigation into her financial affairs showed she had not breached the ministerial code of conduct, her position was “likely to distract from the work of government”. “I have therefore decided to resign from my ministerial position,” she said. Starmer quickly appointed Emma Reynolds, who was the pensions minister, to Siddiq’s role. Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009, is under investigation there on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Hasina and her party deny wrongdoing. Siddiq was named in December as part of a Bangladeshi investigation into whether her family was involved in siphoning off funds from Bangladeshi infrastructure projects.
