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Member of the House of Lords Daniel Hannan joined the chorus of UK politicians urging their government to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
In an opinion piece published by the Telegraph, Hannan that the UK should not only scrap tariffs, but also create a “Digital corridor between Tangier” and UK ports to reduce bureaucracy, and to facilitate investment into the “special zones that Morocco is happy to offer to Britain exclusively.”
Hannan, a journalist stressed that his country should ensure that its trade policy “fully recognizes … the Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.”
He also emphasized Morocco’s desire to embrace cooperation with countries across the world, commending its “strategic decision to diversify beyond the Francophone world.”
He recalled Morocco’s gradual shift to English education systems, stressing that English is “mandatory in school,” while citing potential talks of “applying to join the Commonwealth.”
“Our response? To sit behind our EU tariff wall and mumble that these things take time,” he said.
This is not the first time for a UK politician to call on their government to recognize this, in light of Morocco’s strategic geopolitical location serving as a gateway to Africa and Europe.
Earlier this month, British MP Liam Fox emphasized the importance of maintaining strong ties and cooperation between Morocco and the UK, while calling on his country to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
In an interview with Medi1TV, he outlined how the UK should offer its “full support to Morocco and recognize its sovereignty over the Sahara.”
He argued that such a move would further strengthen cooperation and relations, noting that he had sent a letter to the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, to “draw his attention to the fact that UK has fallen behind the US on this issue.”
Morocco’s position has garnered support across the international community.
In December 2020, the US announced the decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces of Western Sahara.
In addition, a growing list of countries endorses Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most credible solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Fifteen EU countries support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, while half of the African countries have representation in the southern provinces, reflecting their unwavering support for the country’s territorial integrity.
Moroccan officials also expressed that more than 100 UN member states have endorsed the autonomy initiative.
