The claim of British MP Tulip Siddiq’s removal is not true
Recently, a claim about Tulip Siddiq, a minister of the United Kingdom’s (UK) ruling Labour Party, has gone viral on social media. Several Facebook posts allege that Tulip Siddiq, the daughter of Sheikh Rehana and niece of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been removed from her position at the British Anti-Corruption Office. The claim has also appeared in the headlines and on graphic cards of some media outlets. However, verification reveals that the claim is not true. Reports from British media indicate that opposition MPs have called for her removal, but no official announcement or confirmation of her dismissal has been made.
Several Facebook posts (1, 2, 3, 4) include graphics featuring Tulip Siddiq’s image with text stating, “Tulip Siddiq removed from British anti-corruption role.” In addition to these graphic cards, some Facebook posts (1, 2, 3) contain similar claims in plain text.
Bangladeshi media outlet Ekushey Television shared a graphic card with the same claim on its verified Facebook page. The card’s text matches the headline of a report published on its online portal. The graphic card has also been shared separately by several Facebook users (1, 2, 3) and in a YouTube video. Similarly, the daily Inqilab published an online report and shared a graphic card on its Facebook page with the same claim. Other online portals (1, 2) have also published reports with similar headlines.
To verify the claim, Dismislab conducted an online search using relevant keywords. The results showed that several Bangladeshi media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4) had published reports mentioning calls for Tulip Siddiq’s removal. However, these reports specify that opposition MPs have urged her to step back from anti-corruption work due to allegations of corruption. The details of these reports align with this statement. Citing a report from the Daily Mail, they state that opposition MPs accused Tulip Siddiq of aiding her family in embezzling £4 billion from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project and called for her removal from the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office.
The Daily Mail report includes similar details but does not state that Tulip Siddiq has been removed from her position. No other British media outlet has reported on her dismissal either.
However, some Bangladeshi media headlines and Facebook graphic cards claim that Tulip Siddiq has been removed, which is not accurate. While the headlines of reports by Dainik Inqilab and Ekushey Television, as well as their graphic cards on Facebook, mentioned her removal, the detailed sections of their reports referenced the Daily Mail and stated that opposition MPs have demanded or called for the removal of this British MP.
Notably, on August 5, following the fall of the Awami League government, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) launched an investigation into allegations of embezzlement against Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Siddiq, and other members of their family. Additionally, allegations were raised in Bangladesh’s High Court that Tulip had facilitated the transfer of £10 billion from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project. It is claimed that in 2013, during Tulip’s presence in the Kremlin, the agreement was signed by Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Tulip Siddiq has denied all these allegations, and members of her party have dismissed them as politically motivated.
