Labour MPs hit out after minister U-turns on Labour pledge to proscribe Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Labor MPs have hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s government for refusing to ban Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, following a massacre on Iran’s streets.
In 2023, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, then shadow home secretary, announced a Labor Party policy that would ban the IRGC, amid mounting criticism of the then Conservative government’s refusal to do so.
But in an apparent U-turn, Business Secretary Peter Kyle insisted the UK government was “already using sanctions on Iran to the best of our ability” and would not ban the Revolutionary Guard.
Following the senior minister’s interview, three Labor supporters – Hemel Hempstead MP David Taylor and Leeds South West and Morley MP Mark Sewards – broke ranks to demand a ban on the IRGC as the world reacted with shock to the rising death toll in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
Mr Taylor said: “Watching the Revolutionary Guard respond by shooting peaceful protesters is a dark and vile crime with which the Middle East is all too familiar. “From Syria to Yemen to Ukraine, Tehran’s malign role in sowing destruction is beyond doubt.
“We also know the threat the IRGC poses on our streets, from assassination plots to threatening journalists. The government must urgently bring forward the legislation proposed by Jonathan Hall KC to combat this state threat and deliver on our commitment in the manifesto.”
Mr Sewards, chairman of Labor Friends of Israel (LFI), added: “Tehran’s terrorist army is not only a threat to the Iranian people, but also a direct threat to stability in the Middle East and the national security of the United Kingdom.
“The government should act to ban the IRGC without delay, putting forward the legislative proposals outlined by Jonathan Hall KC to combat state threats.”
Luke Akehurst, MP for Durham North, acknowledged there were challenges to banning, but said: “The IRGC is cracking down on democracy protesters in Iran and also poses a threat to people in the UK whom Iran sees as enemies. It is imperative that the UK urgently bans this vile organisation.”
The decision not to take action against the IRGC comes despite the Labor government’s controversial use of counter-terrorism powers to ban the Palestine Movement protest group.
A number of other Labor MPs have privately expressed concern about the tone of the UK government’s response last week.
“While the Israeli ambassador was summoned twice last year, the Iranian ambassador was not summoned to explain his government’s terrible actions,” one lawmaker said.
Another suggested the government’s approach to Iran and the unfolding tragedy was “too soft.”
Mr Kyle said before Times Radio: “When you look at domestic terrorism legislation, the way we ban domestic organizations is by using domestic legislation.
“The independent reviewer said this was not being used appropriately for state bodies, but we are looking at these issues very closely.
“There is no doubt about that, and I don’t think anyone will question the fact that this government cares so deeply about civilians and people in Iran. We will do everything we can, but when we use domestic legislation we must make sure it is used appropriately.”
The rejection came despite Ms Cooper, the foreign secretary, backing a ban of the IRGC on behalf of the opposition Labor Party in 2023, in an apparent U-turn when she was shadow home secretary.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Ms Cooper said: “As part of the strategy, Labor will introduce new changes to legislation that will allow the government to ban hostile state-sponsored organizations that undermine our national security.”
“So rather than trying and failing to use counterterrorism legislation to ban organizations like Wagner or the IRGC, we will implement a special banning mechanism against state-sponsored threats.”
At that time, 125 MPs from different parties signed a letter supporting the move to ban the Revolutionary Guard, which Rishi Sunak’s government resisted.
Officials at the Foreign Office (FCDO) have previously resisted banning the IRGC, convincing ministers that it would cut off all contact between the UK and Iran, making it more difficult to deal with issues such as the illegal imprisonment of British nationals such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was held hostage by the regime for six years.
The government has been insisting for years that the Revolutionary Guard, which is believed to be behind state-sponsored terrorism from Iran, be banned.
In addition, he has been at the forefront of the brutal repression of the Iranian people by the theocratic regime led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is now leading efforts to suppress protests, including shooting people to death in the streets, according to reports.
The US has already banned the IRGC and hopes were raised that Britain would follow suit, with Heidi Alexander saying on Sunday the matter was under review.
But when asked whether there was a ban on the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) or whether there could be some kind of ban, albeit not through domestic legislation, Mr Kyle said: “We have used sanctions against Iran as much as we can.”
He added that Sir Keir Starmer was working with international partners to see “how we can apply international pressure” on Iran.
But activists are increasing pressure for a change of heart on the issue.
Laila Jazayeri, Director of the British-Iranian Women’s Association in the UK, said the IRGC had already gone too far.
Speaking at the demonstration on Sunday, she said: “The prime minister should proscribe the deadly force IRGC, that is killing people inside Iran.”
A source close to Ms Cooper pointed to a speech she made to the House of Commons as Home Secretary on 19 May last year; where the government announced it was “committed to taking forward Mr Hall’s recommendations”, which included “creating new powers modeled on counter-terrorism powers in a range of areas to tackle state threats”.
