British MP pushes London to align with France on Sahara position

Supporters of Morocco are rallying within the British Parliament. According to a document from the House of Commons consulted by Yabiladi, Conservative MP Andrew Murrison submitted two written questions regarding the Western Sahara issue to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government on Thursday, September 5.

Murrison inquired if the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth, and Development had begun evaluating the possibility of aligning the UK's support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara with the diplomatic stances of the USA, Israel, Spain, and France.

In a second question, the MP asked if the government had considered the obstacles preventing recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The Labour government is expected to provide answers in the coming weeks.

Since the Left's victory in the July 4 parliamentary elections, the Sahara issue has mainly been addressed by Polisario supporters. This includes written questions from MP Ben Lake regarding the extension of MINURSO's mandate to monitor human rights in the Sahara and the inclusion of products originating from the Sahara in the UK-Morocco association agreement, finalized in October 2019.