A Tower Hamlets councillor has been receiving more than £20,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances whilst spending the majority of the past eight months based in Bangladesh.
Sabina Khan, who represents a Mile End ward in east London, has been staying in Sylhet as she pursues her ambition to become a member of parliament in the Asian nation, 5,000 miles away from the British capital.
Ms Khan was elected to represent Labour in the central London authority before defecting to the divisive Aspire party with another colleague, handing it control of the borough.
Despite her prolonged absence, Ms Khan continues to receive her full annual package of £20,600 and is understood to intend to remain in her position until the local elections in May, when she will stand down.
Ms Khan’s annual allowance consists of £11,898 for her role as a councillor, alongside an additional £8,702 for serving as Scrutiny Lead for Resources, a position requiring her to examine council spending decisions.
Since travelling to Bangladesh last May, Ms Khan has spent the vast majority of her time in the country.
Apart from a smattering of in-person appearances, she has either joined council and committee meetings via video link, dispatched a proxy to attend on her behalf, or failed to show up altogether.
“When she has joined meetings online, you can see where she is – on her balcony in Bangladesh. It’s scandalous,” one source on the council said.
Councillor Sabina Khan has earned tens of thousands in her role despite running for office in Bangladesh
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Other insiders have branded the situation a “scandal,” expressing astonishment that Ms Khan has not been compelled to step down immediately.
Another councillor described the circumstances as “staggering,” adding: “It is unfair on everybody, I think she should have done the decent thing and gone.
“She should resign, she frankly cannot do it from Bangladesh. I know what it’s like at Tower Hamlets, with harrowing stories of casework. People come to see you, you can’t do it from abroad, you have got to sit there and see people. You can’t do casework by Microsoft Teams, I’m sorry it’s ridiculous,” they told the Daily Mail.
The councillor is seeking selection as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate for the Golapganj-Beanibazar constituency ahead of the national assembly elections scheduled for February 12.
Ms Khan was elected to represent Labour in the central London authority before defecting to the divisive Aspire party
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TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL
When challenged about her conduct last November, Ms Khan claimed she had stepped down from her Tower Hamlets role.
Speaking to Bangladesh’s The Daily Star, she said: “It is not unlawful under UK law for a councillor to engage in political activity abroad.”
“I have continued to serve my constituents remotely and returned when required. Nonetheless, I have now stepped down to dedicate myself fully to public service in Bangladesh.”
However, the council never received her resignation, and she subsequently appeared at a meeting later that month.
Ms Khan travelled to Bangladesh with family connections, like many of her London constituents, in an attempt to secure adoption as a parliamentary candidate for the BNP.
Fellow Tower Hamlets councillor Ohid Ahmed joined her in this endeavour, with both launching campaigns to become MPs for the party ahead of the February election.
Neither councillor succeeded in the initial round of selections. Mr Ahmed is understood to have returned to London and resumed his normal duties following his unsuccessful bid.
Tower Hamlets, controlled by Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire party, has faced persistent corruption and mismanagement allegations.
Ms Khan has been running a Facebook page named Sabina Khan for Golapganj and Beanibazar | FACEBOOK
Mr Rahman was barred from public office for five years in 2015 after an election court found he had won through corrupt and illegal practices, though he was re-elected in 2022 following the ban’s expiry.
At a town hall meeting in January, the council said it had made clear that standing for political office overseas was “unacceptable”, while insisting that Ms Khan remained committed to serving local residents.
In a statement, the council said: “Relevant councillors have been informed by the council’s monitoring officer that seeking political office in other countries while serving as councillors is unacceptable, and that councillors must focus solely on the residents they represent and on the roles they undertake in the council.
“Councillor Khan has assured the Aspire Group whip that she remains committed to her constituents and her duties to the council.”