Yunus' UK visit: Confusion over UK PM's whereabouts sparks criticism of CA's press office

The Press Secretary to Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has come under scrutiny after inaccurately stating that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Canada when, in fact, he remains in the UK and is scheduled to travel to Canada this weekend.

On 10 June, chief adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters that Keir Starmer was in Canada, citing information reportedly shared by a visiting British parliamentarian. 

"A British parliamentarian came today and told us that Keir Starmer is in Canada," he said, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrange a meeting between the chief adviser and the British premier during Yunus's four-day official visit to the UK.

However, this statement has since been contradicted by multiple British news reports. On the same day, Starmer was in fact in the UK, attending Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons and later visiting families affected by a knife attack in Southport last year. According to The Times, Starmer is expected to visit Canada on 14 June, where he will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for talks on security and economic co-operation.

Carney himself confirmed the matter last evening on  social media, saying, "This weekend, Canada will welcome Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Ottawa."

The error has triggered a wave of criticism on social media, where many users questioned how the chief adviser's office could be unaware of the British prime minister's actual whereabouts, particularly during an official diplomatic visit.

"No matey, Keir Starmer is very much in London. He's in the House of Commons this morning. He was in London yesterday too," wrote Sabir Mustafa, former editor at BBC Bengali Service, on Facebook today.

Another Facebook user, Afsar Bahar, wrote, "Our head of government, Professor Yunus, has gone to the United Kingdom. But our government doesn't even know whether the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is in his own country or has gone to Canada.

"...Perhaps there hasn't been any substantial communication between the Yunus government and the UK government regarding this visit. So, what kind of official visit is this by Professor Yunus, and what kind of diplomacy?"

Chief adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Minister (Press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in London Akbar Hossain were also present at the media briefing where the error occurred.

The chief adviser arrived in the UK on 10 June. His office has said a meeting with Keir Starmer will be scheduled "if the timing works out," though it now appears the British PM will not be in Canada until at least 14 June – after Yunus's UK visit concludes.

Meanwhile, the press secretary also confirmed that the chief adviser's office had received a letter reportedly sent by British MP Tulip Siddiq. He described the matter as "a legal issue" that would be dealt with "through legal means".