Senior allies of UK PM Sir Keir Starmer are considering candidates to replace Tulip Siddiq, niece of deposed Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in case she is forced to quit over links to her aunt’s regime, reports UK publication The Times. Candidates are said to have been identified to succeed the Treasury minister over the weekend, before Monday’s public announcement that Tulip had referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog. Starmer said he had full confidence in Tulip, and a No 10 spokesman said it was “completely untrue” to suggest the party had drawn up a shortlist. However, The Times reported that some of the close aides to the prime minister were at least informally considering who could succeed her. A spokesman for Tulip said it was “categorically wrong” to suggest the properties were linked to her support for the Awami League.

Source: bd News24 January 11, 2025 18:14 UTC