Tulip Siddiq attended cricket matches during the 2019 World Cup alongside Kazi Nabil Ahmed, a former Awami League politician now under investigation for corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), reports The Business Standard.
According to a report published on Saturday in The Telegraph, Sheikh Hasina's regime had continued to implement “a harsh crackdown to suppress those that disagree or are critical of the ruling Awami League”.
It said “these included members and supporters of the political opposition, journalists, prominent members of civil society, as well as students, and even school children”, says The Telegraph.
Siddiq has sought to distance herself from her aunt's controversial administration but recently referred herself to the UK Prime Minister's ethics adviser regarding her use of properties linked to Awami League supporters.
The UK based media revealed that Awami League members had campaigned for Siddiq and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during the 2019 UK general election.
Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule ended in 2024 amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power by Awami League officials.
After Sheikh Hasina's fall, ACC is investigating Ahmed alongside other Awami League ministers and MPs. These former politicians face various allegations, including abuse of power, acquiring illegal wealth and smuggling money and gold abroad.
Ahmed was an Awami League MP between 2014 and 2024, before reportedly fleeing the country following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina regime.
A spokesperson for Siddiq said: "This was declared transparently and in line with the rules."
Following last year's election supporters of the Awami League turned up on Siddiq's doorstep to congratulate her with flowers.
The house in north London is owned by Abdul Karim, a businessman said to be an ally of Sheikh Hasina.
Labour sources said Siddiq moved into the home for security reasons and have previously claimed some neighbours did not even know she lived there.
It is unclear whether he was invited or turned up unannounced, but Mohammed Ayas, a member of the Awami Youth Wing, took a photo himself on her doorstep and presented her with flowers following her re-election last year.
The post on Facebook was deleted after The Telegraph asked Labour about how supporters of the Awami League knew the address of Siddiq.
Labour sources said private citizens who may know Siddiq hold their own beliefs and it did not mean any wrongdoing on her part.
The Telegraph can also reveal that supporters of the Awami League attended Labour conference in Brighton in 2021. They include Abdul Shahid Sheikh, who says he works in PR for the Awami League and Ayas. Others who attended included Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, the former mayor of Sylhet, and a close ally of Sheikh Hasina.
Addressing the issue of Awami League supporters attending conference, a Labour spokesman said: "This is a desperate reach. Lots of people, of all political views, attend political conferences in a variety of capacities, including Tory Conference. They're legitimate forufor political debate and free speech. The differing views of those at these events should not be taken as representative of the wider Labour Party or its views."
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
