Simon Danczuk meets with PM of Bangladesh

Simon Danczuk MP with Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina

Rochdale’s MP Simon Danczuk met with Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina on Monday as part of her official visit to the UK.

Sheikh Hasina, who is the leader of the Awami League party, was first elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 2009. Her re-election in 2014 was marred by controversy after the main opposition party refused to take part amid fears of a stich up.

In the past, Mr Danczuk has been a vocal critic of Sheikh Hasina’s government over her controversial election as well as the frequent human rights abuses committed under her government.

Despite this criticism, Mr Danczuk was keen to emphasise the need for UK politicians to work with all parties in Bangladesh to ensure that progress is made on democracy and human rights.

He was particularly keen to meet with the Prime Minister on behalf of the hundreds of people in Rochdale who have Bangladeshi heritage and are deeply concerned about the political situation in Bangladesh.

Mr Danczuk said: “I’m pleased that I got the opportunity to meet with Sheikh Hasina and continue to engage with her about the future of Bangladesh.

"There are obviously deep links between the UK and Bangladesh due to our history and recent immigration from Bangladesh to the UK, and I believe this means that British politicians can play a constructive role in diplomatic relations with Bangladesh.

"There is clearly a lot of progress still to be made on issues of human rights, the rule of law, and democracy, and I hope that we will see action on these in the near future”.