Tulip Siddiq was doorstepped by broadcasters yesterday. This morning the BBC runs with the headline: “Siddiq urged to step back from anti-corruption duties”. A collection of charities running the “UK Anti-Corruption Coalition” has called for Siddiq to hand over her anti-corruption brief. The British media followed Guido’s story yesterday revealing a second investigation from the Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission into Tulip. City AM is today calling for her to resign. This is not going away…
Eyebrows have been raised in SW1 at Starmer’s close relationship with ousted dicatator Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League after Guido revealed the PM met with its UK general secretary just last month. Media focus has also landed on the campaign group Labour Friends of Bangladesh, which the FT says is “closely linked to the Awami League” and has been “heavily used” for promotion of Hasina’s regime. As Guido revealed last week the group funded Starmer’s trip to Bangladesh to meet Hasina when we was a backbench MP…
Guido can now reveal Labour Friends of Bangladesh’s longstanding chairman, Howard Dawber, donated to Starmer’s leadership campaign some years later in 2020. Dawber, chairman since 2010 and recently appointed Deputy Mayor of London for Business & Growth, gave £3,000 to Starmer’s successful bid for the Labour Party over three separate donations. Starmer’s links to the organisation pop up over the years: in 2018 he attended a LFB press conference with Siddiq and Rushanara Ali to argue for Remain…
Dawber is now trying to play down his organisation’s proximity to the Awami League despite its constant and longstanding support for Hasina’s regime. But after January 2024’s sham election in Bangladesh Dawber sent personal congratulations to Hasina:
“On behalf of Labour Party Friends of Bangladesh in the United Kingdom, we would like to congratulate you on your re-election as the prime minister of Bangladesh.We look forward to working with the Bangladesh government in the coming years and to arranging more visits for senior UK parliamentarians to experience Bangladesh for themselves…With all good wishes for a peaceful and prosperous future for Bangladesh and your premiership.“
This looks to be much wider than Laurie Magnus has the scope to investigate…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”