Financial Times: Keir Starmer declines meeting with Yunus amid probe into missing billions

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declines meeting with Yunus amid efforts to trace missing billions: Financial Times

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declined a request to meet Professor Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, during his official visit to the United Kingdom, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Professor Yunus is currently in the UK to garner international support in recovering billions of dollars allegedly siphoned off by the former Sheikh Hasina administration.

While Yunus confirmed that Starmer had not yet agreed to a meeting, he expressed confidence that the UK leader would ultimately support Bangladesh’s efforts. “This is stolen money,” he told British media, emphasizing the moral urgency of the matter.

UK officials told the Financial Times that there are no current plans for a meeting between Starmer and Yunus, and declined to provide further comment.

Yunus, however, noted that the UK government is already assisting in efforts to locate the stolen funds, and stressed that Britain has both a “legal and moral” responsibility to help recover the money. He said the goal of his trip was to encourage “more enthusiastic support” from the UK.

Nobel laureate Professor Yunus assumed leadership of the interim government after student-led protests ousted Sheikh Hasina on August 5 last year. According to the Financial Times, ongoing investigations into financial corruption under Hasina’s Awami League have created unease for Britain’s Labour Party, as some of the findings indirectly affect its public image.

Earlier this year, then UK Anti-Corruption Minister Tulip Siddiq — a close ally of Starmer and niece of Sheikh Hasina — resigned following multiple corruption allegations, including receiving financial benefits and property linked to Awami League associates. Siddiq has denied any wrongdoing.

This week, Siddiq, who remains a Member of Parliament, wrote to Yunus requesting a meeting to address what she described as a “misunderstanding” driven by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission.

Yunus, however, declined her request, telling the Financial Times: “This is a legal issue... a legal process. It’s not personal involving me.”