The corruption row follows years of claims about Siddiq’s use of various expensive London properties, including apartments and houses gifted or owned by her aunt’s political allies. It also came after a letter from the Prime Minister’s independent advisor on ministerial standards published today. He said he found it “regrettable” that “conclusive information” about how the Siddiq family came to own some London properties was not found.
The ministerial standards advisor also noted an “unfortunate misunderstanding” which led to the public having been “inadvertently misled” about the origin of the ownership of a flat in King’s Cross. He stated:
Given the nature of Ms Siddiq’s ministerial responsibilities, which include the promotion of the UK financial services sector and the inherent probity of its regulatory framework as a core component of the UK economy and its growth, it is regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks – both to her and the Government – arising from her close family’s association with Bangladesh. I would not advise that this shortcoming should be taken as a breach of the Ministerial Code, but you will want to consider her ongoing responsibilities in the light of this.
Siddiq had previously distanced herself from claims about her links to the despotic former Bangladeshi regime, insisting she — a dedicated politician — never discussed politics with her aunt, the Prime Minister of a Commonwealth state. Yet in recent days, The Times of London has revealed campaign literature from Siddiq was found in the abandoned palace of her aunt in Dhaka, looted by rebels after she was removed in a coup last year.
Taking the lead from the PM’s ethics advisor, Siddiq relied heavily on the statement that her actions hadn’t breached the ministerial code in her resignation letter on Tuesday afternoon. Insisting she had acted with nothing but full transparency, Siddiq nevertheless conceded that “continuing in my role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the Government.”
The Prime Minister, reportedly a close friend of Siddiq, replied that he accepted her resignation “with sadness” and stated he wanted to “be clear that the door remains open for you going forward.”
Breitbart News
Read the full article .
