Anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq resigns under pressure and the media response is deplorable. Once again the UK excels itself.

You may recall that as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, she is responsible for tackling corruption in the UK’s financial markets – but has been accused of corruptly helping her family embezzle up to £3.9 billion out of infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.

The example given by the BBC was that she helped her aunt, Sheikh Hasina Siddiq – who was deposed as prime minister of that country in August, by brokering a deal with Russia in 2013 that overinflated the price of a new nuclear power plant.

Siddiq denied any involvement in the claims – but recused herself – stepped away – from any political decisions involving Bangladesh.

It wasn’t enough for the wolves, of course.

So even after she referred herself to prime minister Keir Starmer’s standards adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus – and he found “no evidence of improprieties”, “unusual financial arrangements” or evidence to suggest that her or her husband’s financial assets “derive from anything other than legitimate means”, she has been forced to resign.

Her reason was that if she continued in her current job, she was likely to be a distraction from the work of government (because of the continued baying of the Opposition wolves and their client media, of course).

She did nothing wrong – or at least there is absolutely no evidence that she did – but she still had to go.

And that bastion of the right-wing press, Andrew Neil, had nothing to say apart from this:

Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq resigns. Inevitable, really, after Keir Starmer said he had full confidence in her.

— Andrew Neil (@afneil) January 14, 2025

Starmer has said “the door remains open for her” and that, at least, is wise.