A backbench Labour MP has invited members of the Awami League – the banned Bangladeshi political party belonging to ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina – to parliament. In case you needed any reminder of Labour’s close links to the organisation…
Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash is hosting a “drop-in session” next Monday afternoon with “members of the Bangladeshi community, including my constituents and people from other parts of the country, to discuss recent developments in Bangladesh.” This will apparently “provide an opportunity to hear directly about concerns relating to the conduct of the elections, restrictions on freedom of association, and wider issues impacting the community.” Those happen to be issues hammered repeatedly by the Awami League since an election put the opposing Bangladesh National Party in power…
Brash added in a round-robin email: “Representatives of the Awami League will also be present. They are constituents of mine whose party was recently banned by the current administration and, as a result, were unable to participate in the elections.” The party was banned with anti-terror legislation by the interim government led by Nobel Peace-Prize winning professor Muhammad Yunus…
Ex-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq – niece of Hasina – has been sentenced multiple times in absentia by Bangladeshi courts on several charges, which she denies. Guido has long reported the close links held at the very top of the Labour Party with the Awami League. Arm in arm – strange look for the ‘human rights lawyer’ PM…
Starmer said to Robert Peston this afternoon:
“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy businesses bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world.”