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The newly elected British government, following the general election on July 4, has no plans to revise the association agreement with Morocco, which includes the Sahara and was signed on October 26, 2019. This stance was officially communicated by the Labour administration, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in response to a written question from Ben Lake, an MP from the Plaid Cymru party, which advocates for Welsh independence.
Lake had inquired whether the «Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had recent discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on the trade of natural resources originating in Western Sahara».
«We do not consider commercial activity in Western Sahara to be illegal, provided it respects the interests of the Sahrawi people. The UK continues to support the UN-led efforts and the work of Staffan de Mistura as the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, and we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process», said the left-leaning British government.
This response is likely to disappoint Polisario supporters in the House of Commons, as it mirrors the previous statement given in April 2024 by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative administration. At that time, David Rutley, Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, similarly stated, «We do not consider commercial activity in Western Sahara to be illegal, provided it respects the interests of the Sahrawi people».
It is worth noting that on December 5, 2022, the British High Court rejected an appeal by the NGO Western Sahara Campaign UK (WSCUK), which sought to annul the Morocco-UK Association Agreement, which includes products from the Sahara.
Regardless of the ruling party, the British government's position on the Sahara remains unchanged
In response to another written question from Ben Lake MP about «whether the UK government is taking steps to promote the right to self-government for the people of Western Sahara», the Starmer administration reiterated its support for «UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK also supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara».
After the Labour Party's victory in the July 4 elections, the Polisario leader congratulated Prime Minister Keir Starmer, stating, «The Polisario Front is a sister organization of the Labour Party, and we look forward to continuing and deepening the existing relations between our two organizations, while persevering in our quest for a better world in which international solidarity, justice, human rights, and the right of peoples to self-determination prevail».
Following a telephone conversation with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, on August 5, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized on X that «the UK’s relationship with Morocco dates back 800 years and continues to grow stronger. We discussed regional security and prosperity, which are more important than ever».
