Rabat – The UK government has made it clear that UK businesses are free to operate in Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara, reaffirming that companies can make their own decisions on trade and investment in the region.
This position was outlined by Minister of State for Trade Policy, Douglas Alexander, in response to a parliamentary question in which he compared the status of Israeli settlements in Palestine to economic activity in Morocco’s southern provinces.
Scottish National Party MP Graham Leadbitter had asked whether the UK would ban trade and investment with what he called “illegal settlements” in both Western Sahara and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, referencing the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent Advisory Opinion.
In response, Alexander reaffirmed the UK’s view that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law. However, his stance on Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara was noticeably different.
“It is for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara,” the minister said, making no mention of any restrictions or legal concerns regarding trade in the region. He added that his country “continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution.”
Algeria and Polisario have been repeatedly attempting to draw a misleading comparison between the Western Sahara dispute and the Palestinian conflict. Such attempts from Algeria’s regime continue to interfere in Morocco’s domestic affairs as part of its policy of supporting and harboring separatism in the country’s southern provinces.
The UK government’s recent response is another blow to Algeria’s regime and Polisario as it marks a clear distinction between the UK’s position on Western Sahara and its stance on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. While the UK explicitly condemns Israeli settlements as illegal under international law and denies them preferential trade agreements, it refrains from imposing any similar restrictions on economic activity in Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara.
A positive direction, but much room for improvement
On the surface, the UK’s statement appears to acknowledge Morocco’s position over the region by leaving business decisions in the hands of companies, rather than incorrectly labeling the territory as “occupied” or imposing trade barriers. However, the UK continues to avoid taking a definitive stance in favor of Morocco’s sovereignty and stops short of the full recognition that many Moroccan, as well as British, officials and international allies have called for.
This cautious approach stands in contrast to growing calls within the UK for a stronger commitment to Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Last year, more than 30 MPs and Peers signed a letter to then Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, urging the UK to recognize Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most viable solution to the Western Sahara dispute. The letter stressed Morocco’s strategic importance as a stable partner in North Africa, especially in the wake of rising instability in the Sahel and the Middle East.
“Morocco stands paramount among these partner nations, it is a top strategic ally in North Africa, with shared values and perspectives crucial to both our countries,” it reads.
Similarly, in October, British MP Andrew Murrison reiterated his call for the UK to align itself with key allies, including the US, France, Spain, and Germany, who have explicitly endorsed Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Murrison argued that the UK must establish a stronger diplomatic presence in Laayoune and Dakhla to reinforce its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity. He added that Morocco’s Autonomy plan represents “the only credible option.”
Despite its pragmatic stance on trade, the UK remains reluctant to take the next logical step, which is the formal recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
More than any other country, Britain has a historical responsibility to do so, given its longstanding diplomatic and trade relations with Morocco. The Treaty of March 13, 1895, explicitly recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, a fact that should guide the UK’s modern foreign policy.
