INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
pose a problem for her role in the British government, not least because her ministerial responsibilities included anti-corruption
in failing to dissociate herself as the Bangladesh Awami League government led by her aunt which became increasingly authoritarian since
The older daughter, Hasina, returned to Bangladesh, where she became prime minister in 2009
Rehana, the younger, fled to London where she gained asylum, eventually giving birth to Siddiq.Siddiq grew up in both London and Dhaka, and
as a young person met Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Mother Teresa alongside her aunt
She joined the Labour party aged 16 and worked for a range of organisations including Amnesty International and Save the Children.Around
Russian capital merely to meet her aunt, but Bangladeshi officials are now investigating whether she brokered a deal between the two
countries for a nuclear power plant at an inflated price
parliament for the Labour party, a victory for which she credited local activists for the Awami League
London which her aunt also attended.She has also been pictured multiple times introducing her aunt to British politicians, including the
former Commons speaker John Bercow.In 2020, she nominated Starmer for the leadership of her party and was rewarded for her support with a
job in the shadow education team
But those questions re-emerged last summer when her aunt was deposed after days of student-led protests in Dhaka.Officials in the new
Details also emerged about a series of properties she had lived in or owned which had been paid for by people connected to the Awami
League.Siddiq has maintained her innocence throughout, insisting her relationship with her aunt has always been personal rather than
adviser on ministerial interests.While Magnus was deliberating, senior government sources admitted she was likely to have to resign whether
or not she was found to have broken the ministerial code.In the end Magnus did not find she had broken the code, though he said there were
still many questions about the accusations against her
Starmer wrote in response to her resignation
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
