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Watch: Tulip Siddiq asked by Channel 4 to help abducted barrister

The case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British mother jailed in Iran, has attracted cross party support after Boris Johnson’s comments at a select committee led to the Iran government re-examining her sentence. Of all the MPs to call on the Foreign Secretary to do more to help improve her situation, few have been as vocal as Tulip Siddiq.

Only the the Hampstead MP appears to be less forthcoming on other issues. On Tuesday night, Channel 4 news aired a segment in which they asked her to use her influence to free another person who campaigners say has been locked up illegally – a British-trained barrister in Bangladesh who was abducted by men thought to be working for the government. Siddiq is thought to be particularly influential in the case given that her aunt is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Her reply? The person in question is not her constituent…

To make matters worse, Siddiq appeared to imply it was wrong for Channel 4 to ask her this as they were only asking her because they were only asking her because of her Bangladeshi heritage (‘are you calling me Bangladeshi?’) before warning the pregnant female producer that ‘child labour is hard’.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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