the council described seeking political office abroad as “unacceptable”
A London councillor has taken more than £20,000 of taxpayers’ money, despite campaigning for political office in Bangladesh.
Sabina Khan is standing for the Bangladesh National Party in the Golapganj-Beanibazar constituency ahead of February’s national assembly elections.
Despite this, she remains a serving Tower Hamlets councillor, earning £20,600 a year from public funds.
Her pay includes £11,898 as a councillor and £8,702 for her scrutiny lead role for resources. The post involves overseeing council decision-making.
According to The Telegraph, Ms Khan will not seek re-election in Tower Hamlets in May.
Tower Hamlets Council has previously said UK law “does not automatically disqualify” councillors who run for office overseas. Council records show Ms Khan attended a meeting on January 21.
However, Ms Khan has missed several recent committee meetings. On some occasions, she sent a proxy or joined remotely by phone.
Social media posts show Ms Khan campaigning in Sylhet in January 2026.
Fellow councillors have demanded she step down from her roles.
In a written question last November, Labour councillor Amy Lee said:
“Does the Mayor agree with me that Councillor Sabina Khan should resign from her role as lead scrutiny member for Finance and Resources, now she has declared her intention to stand for election in Bangladesh so that someone who is actually spending their time in Tower Hamlets can undertake this important role?”
At a January town hall meeting, the council described seeking political office abroad as “unacceptable”. However, it maintained that Ms Khan remained committed to residents.
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.”
Sabina Khan was elected as a Labour councillor before defecting to the Aspire party, which has run Tower Hamlets since 2022.
Aspire was founded by Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who was barred from office in 2015 for electoral misconduct before returning in 2022.
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