What Tulip says about holding Bangladesh passport, NID and how UK media reacts

Tulip Siddiq, Member of Parliament for the ruling Labour Party in the United Kingdom, has alleged that Bangladeshi authorities are using “fake” identity documents to conduct a smear campaign against her.

On Thursday, The Telegraph’s online edition published a report detailing Tulip Siddiq’s claims. The report coincided with a joint investigation by Prothom Alo and The Times, which examined Tulip Siddiq’s Bangladeshi citizenship.

The joint report, published on Thursday, revealed that Tulip Siddiq holds a Bangladeshi National Identity (NID) card and was registered as a voter in Bangladesh. She possesses a Bangladeshi passport as well.

Following the publication of the joint investigative report, Tulip Siddiq publicly accused the Bangladeshi authorities of attempting to discredit her.

The Telegraph noted that the documents it had seen indicate that former Labour minister Tulip Siddiq possesses both a Bangladeshi passport and NID, contradicting her prior claims.

Tulip Siddiq, however, insisted that these documents had been forged to portray her as corrupt.

A spokesperson for the MP told The Telegraph that Bangladeshi authorities had been conducting a politically motivated smear campaign against Tulip Siddiq for nearly a year. They refused to engage with her legal team and provided no evidence to substantiate their claims.

According to Tulip Siddiq’s spokesperson, the documents are “entirely forged” and show clear signs of fabrication.

Documents indicate that Tulip Siddiq obtained a Bangladeshi passport in 2001 at the age of 19 and a National Identity Card in 2011.

The paperwork also suggests that she applied for a passport renewal at the Agargaon Passport Office in Dhaka in 2011.

However, Tulip Siddiq’s associates have highlighted “numerous inconsistencies and irregularities” in these documents, questioning their authenticity.

For example, the documents list a Dhaka address linked to her aunt and Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Tulip Siddiq’s close sources, however, assert that she has never lived in Dhaka. They categorically deny that Tulip Siddiq ever held a Bangladeshi NID, stating that she only held a Bangladeshi passport during her childhood.

Sources close to Tulip Siddiq emphasised that it is “highly suspicious” that the NID in question is not in the new smart-card format, which would have made verification straightforward.

The absence of the smart-card format, they argue, makes the documents convenient for forgers while casting serious doubt on their authenticity.

There are concerns that these documents could be used in a current corruption case in Bangladesh, being tried in absentia, involving allegations that Hampstead and Highgate MP, Tulip Siddiq, influenced her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, to secure land plots for her mother, brother, and sister.

Tulip Siddiq’s parents are Bangladeshi citizens, which means she could potentially hold dual citizenship with the UK and Bangladesh.

A spokesperson of the law firm for Tulip Siddiq’s legal advisers, Stephenson Harwood, told the UK’s Financial Times earlier this year that Tulip Siddiq has never possessed a Bangladeshi NID or voter ID, and has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood.

Over the past few years, Tulip Siddiq has made various statements regarding her ties to Bangladesh.

In 2017, when asked whether she would intervene in a case involving a UK-trained lawyer detained in Bangladesh, she responded, “Are you calling me Bangladeshi? I am British. Be careful—I am a British MP… I am not Bangladeshi.”

During a December 2015 visit to Bangladesh with her husband Christian Percy, Tulip Siddiq attended an event organised by her former educational institution. She referred to Bangladesh as her country while addressing students.

Tulip Siddiq, who formerly served as Labour’s Minister for Anti-Corruption, resigned from her ministerial position following an advisory review by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ethics advisor into allegations of corruption in Bangladesh.

Tulip Siddiq has consistently rejected the allegations, describing the case as “absurd” and politically motivated, asserting that the claims are based on “fabricated accusations.”

However, Bangladeshi prosecutors told The Telegraph that Tulip Siddiq has never renounced her Bangladeshi citizenship.

The UK tabloid Daily Mail also reported on Thursday on the matter under the headline: “Labour MP Tulip Siddiq who is facing a corruption probe ‘lied about having a passport from Bangladesh’”.

The report cites new evidence that Tulip Siddiq holds both a Bangladeshi passport and NID, contradicting her earlier assertions.

The report further said that voter registration data reportedly confirms that Tulip Siddiq has a voter number in Bangladesh.

Following the publication of the joint investigation, Tulip Siddiq spoke to Bangladesh’s English-language newspaper The Daily Star.

She categorically described the allegations as “politically motivated” and “fabricated,” reiterating that she has never held a Bangladeshi NID, voter ID, or passport beyond childhood.

She described the reports as a deliberate attempt to tarnish her reputation, asserting that Bangladeshi authorities are distributing forged documents to substantiate a groundless case.

Tulip Siddiq also noted that Sir Laurie Magnus, advisor to the UK Prime Minister on ministerial standards, had conducted a thorough review earlier in the year and found no wrongdoing on her part.

She further complained that despite nearly 12 months passing since the allegations first surfaced, no Bangladeshi authority has reached out to her.

Reactions within the UK-based Bangladeshi community have been mixed. Some claim that Tulip Siddiq misled the public about her Bangladeshi documents, while others argue she is the target of political retaliation following the 2024 mass uprising that removed Sheikh Hasina from power.

Former BBC journalist Masud Hasan Khan warned that the joint investigation by The Times and Prothom Alo is likely to inflame debate within the community.

He described the existence of her NID, passport, and voter registration as a source of “mixed reactions,” noting that some believe Siddiq’s earlier denials were truthful, while others view her as a victim of conspiracy.

Hasan characterised the situation as “embarrassing” for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and suggested that while no law appears to have been broken, Tulip Siddiq’s ethical position is now under scrutiny.

Syed Monsur Uddin, former advisor to the Labour Party’s Tower Hamlets branch, commented, “If the report is accurate, it is embarrassing for Tulip Siddiq, the Labour Party, and her supporters, as well as for the Bangladeshi community. I hope she issues a clear statement to clarify her position. Politicians should always maintain transparency.”

According to the Daily Star report, speculation within the Labour Party is intensifying. If the controversy continues to make headlines, Tulip Siddiq could face disciplinary action.

Opposition leaders have already signalled that they may use this case to challenge the party’s commitment to accountability and transparency.

The report further said that informal discussions have begun within the UK Bangladeshi community, with some calling on Tulip Siddiq to “reveal everything” and others trying to protect her from political character assassination.

Following the publication of the joint investigative report, The British Daily Express reported on the matter on Thursday.

The report was published under the headline, “New nightmare for Starmer as Tulip Siddiq accused of lying about Bangladeshi citizenship”, primarily based on the joint investigative report by Prothom Alo and The Times.

The Express noted that new evidence contradicts Tulip Siddiq’s claims that she never received a Bangladeshi NID or passport, showing instead that the authorities in Dhaka have documentation suggesting otherwise.