Labour Party must ‘cut ties’ with the party (Awami League) behind Tulip Siddiq’s despot aunt’s regime, the Conservatives have said.

The Conservative Party co-chairman Nigel Huddleston said there are “serious concerns” about the Labour Party’s links with the Bangladeshi former regime ‘that has been accused of corruption and repression’, according to a letter shared with the Telegraph.

“It is clear there is a longstanding relationship between the Labour Party and the Awami League despite the political party facing accusations of embezzlement and for allowing its security forces to kill protestors,” he wrote to Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves.

Siddiq resigned on Tuesday after Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser found that she had “inadvertently misled” the public over a flat she received as a gift from a man with connections to the political party led by her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh.

But the Telegraph can reveal that Labour’s links with the Bangladeshi former regime extend to other senior members of the party.

Wes Streeting hosted a reception in parliament for the UK branch of the Awami League six years ago, at a time when the league’s Bangladeshi arm was being accused by human rights organisations of carrying out extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances.

Members of the organisation posted photos from the event on social media which show Labour MPs in attendance, including Jo Stevens, who is now Welsh Secretary, Steve Reed, now the environment secretary and Stephen Morgan – now an education minister.

A Labour source claimed that the UK Awami League is not an affiliate of the Bangladeshi party and that to conflate the views of individuals in the UK with the regime in Bangladesh is wrong.

The UK Awami League joint secretary is Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, who was mayor of Sylhet in Bangladesh up until Sheikh Hasina was ousted last year. The organisation’s Facebook page posts in support of Sheikh Hasina and flyers and banners at the parliament reception prominently displayed her photo.

Last week the Telegraph revealed that members of Sheikh Hasina’s party campaigned for Keir Starmer in the run up to the 2019 general election.

House of Commons records show that Mr Streeting, the MP for Ilford North who is now health secretary, held a reception at parliament’s terrace pavilion on behalf of the UK Awami League on 27th March 2019 to mark the independence of Bangladesh.

Mr Streeting represents the Ilford North constituency, which has a large Bangladeshi population. One month after being elected as a new MP in 2015 Streeting met Sheikh Hasina at another UK Awami League event at the luxury Sheraton Grand London Park Lane hotel, where she presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

Hasina was ousted last year after 15 years in power. During her tenure, opponents were attacked, arrested and secretly imprisoned as the regime carried out extrajudicial killings. A Labour source said that five Conservative prime ministers have also met or hosted Sheikh Hasina.

Mr Huddleston called on the prime minister to apologise for “continuing to build his relationship with the Awami League, despite repeated warnings from human rights organisations about murder and corruption in Bangladesh”.

He also questioned how much money has been given to Sir Keir, Ms Siddiq and the Labour Party by the Bangladeshi party.

Dr Ashraf Hoque, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at University College London, said the Awami League shouldn’t be assumed to represent Bangladeshis in the UK.

He said that the Labour Party is playing to an old playbook, assuming the Awami League best represents the UK Bangladeshi diaspora.

“This may have once been the case (especially throughout the 70s when Bangladesh was effectively a one-party state) but is no longer. Other Bangladeshi political parties also enjoy support and popularity in the diaspora (such as the BNP and Jamaat).

“The Awami League’s popularity has actually decreased among the diaspora due to the previous regime’s authoritarianism and rampant corruption throughout its 15-year tenure.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “The UK and Bangladesh have longstanding ties on areas of mutual interest such as trade and security. It’s perfectly legitimate for politicians to meet others from across the globe, as MPs from all parties do, and five Conservative leaders have met Sheikh Hasina at home and abroad. This doesn’t amount to an endorsement of their policies.”