UK Rebuffs Polisario as Government Doubles Down on Morocco’s Autonomy Plan

Marrakech – The British government has decisively reaffirmed its full support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as the exclusive and operative paradigm for settlement of the Western Sahara dispute during a critical debate at the House of Lords on Monday.

With just two days remaining before a crucial United Nations Security Council vote, Baroness Jenny Chapman of Darlington, Minister for Development, delivered a clear message rejecting separatist positions in favor of Morocco’s territorial integrity.

“We believe that it was the right and pragmatic solution, given the duration of the conflict and the current situation. I think it was the right decision to make,” stated Baroness Chapman during the parliamentary session, cementing Britain’s position.

The minister pointed to Britain’s strong alliance with Morocco, noting that the United Kingdom remains “extremely close to our Moroccan friends” and voiced certainty that this approach would “bring peace and stability to the region as a whole.”

This definitive statement reinforces the UK’s formal recognition of Morocco’s autonomy initiative on June 1, expressed in a joint press statement following former Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s visit to Morocco.

The text clearly identified the autonomy plan as “the most credible, viable, and pragmatic basis” for achieving a definitive resolution to the regional matter over the southern provinces.

Invited to elaborate on how Britain could ensure that its support for Morocco yields tangible results backed by the international community, Chapman concurred with Lord Bruce of Bennachie on the importance of standing firmly with London’s allies to prevent further regional instability.

She emphasized that by supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan, the British government acts “with pragmatism,” honoring its commitments to Rabat and, above all, “with complete transparency.”

Growing alarm over Tehran’s covert regional entanglement

When asked about a recent meeting between UK Minister of State Hamish Falconer and Polisario representatives on August 5, Chapman promptly clarified that this diplomatic contact fully aligned with Britain’s established position supporting Morocco’s sovereignty.

“This is something the UK had not done before,” she acknowledged, but immediately added that “it was done within the context of the statement we signed recognizing Morocco’s intentions regarding the Sahara.”

Chapman stressed that “the meeting with the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa with Polisario representatives in no way contradicts the joint statements we signed with Morocco.”

The minister further explained, “We believe there is a real opportunity to reach a solution, and all our actions aim toward this goal, because this is not just about the Sahara, but about the stability of the entire region.”

The Lords debate intensified when peers raised serious concerns about potential Iranian interference. One lord directly questioned the minister about “the Polisario’s limited contribution to peace in the region,” while another demanded information on Tehran’s possible backing of the separatist group.

Chapman responded that London had “not seen evidence of Iranian support for the Polisario” but assured the chamber that Britain “continues to monitor Iranian activity in the region” and “has long condemned Tehran’s destabilizing political, military and financial support to its proxies and partners.” She confirmed that the UK would “continue to work with partners to tackle this destabilizing activity.”

Raising this concern, British peers echoed mounting transatlantic alarm – just months after US Congressman Joe Wilson introduced a bill in June calling for the formal designation of the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), citing its destabilizing activities and alleged links to Iran and Hezbollah.

All roads now lead to Morocco’s autonomy framework

Lord Nazir Ahmed, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, called on Britain to assume a more assertive and results-oriented role in advancing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.

His appeal was echoed across the chamber, with several Lords urging the government to anchor its North Africa strategy in stronger support for Morocco’s position – not as a starting point, but as the diplomatic endgame, as Minister Nasser Bourita has consistently argued.

In response, Chapman acknowledged the strategic gravity of the moment, stating that “what matters is seizing this opportunity, along with many other parties, to make progress and establish the stability that the people of this region of the world so greatly need.”

She further revealed that “an important decision will be taken at the Security Council in the coming days,” without providing further details – directly referencing Thursday’s anticipated vote on a US-drafted resolution that enshrines Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal as the “only realistic basis” for negotiations.

This marks a decisive inflection point – one that eviscerates the Polisario’s manufactured narrative, delegitimizes Algeria’s geopolitical subterfuge, and reconfigures the regional balance in favor of lawful sovereignty and strategic realism.

The parliamentary exchange signals deepening convergence between the UK and fellow permanent Security Council members, notably the US and France, which have not only recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara but also mobilized diplomatic and strategic capital to entrench global backing for the autonomy plan.

London’s stance aligns with the prevailing international consensus that Morocco’s proposal constitutes a pragmatic, sovereignty-preserving, and governance-enhancing framework – now widely viewed as the only credible vector for regional stability and the definitive counterweight to separatist destabilization efforts.