Labour urges government to proscribe IRGC as a terrorist organisation

Labour has today stated its support for the proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, either through the existing proscription process or through an amendment to the National Security Bill that would create a parallel power to proscribe state bodies like the IRGC on the basis of their activity.

It follows the growing threat that the IRGC poses on UK soil, as well as in response to the crackdown on protestors, the unjust imprisonment of British nationals in Iran, the execution of Alireza Akbari, long-standing concerns about Iran’s threats to Israel, and its support for violent groups across the region.

In his most recent threat update, MI5 Director Ken McCallum referred to 10 kidnap and death plots by the Iranian regime on British soil. Yesterday, British-Iranian Alireza Akbari was barbarically executed.

Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP, and Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, said:

“The Iranian Regime’s actions against courageous protestors seeking a better future, as well as British nationals imprisoned in Iran and its threats to UK security mean robust action is needed now.

“The IRGC is behaving like a terrorist organisation and must now be proscribed as such. Labour supports proscribing the IRGC either through the existing process, or through amending the national security bill to create a new process of proscription for hostile state actors.

“Labour will always take the actions necessary to keep the British public safe.”

Ends

Notes

• Proscription would provide enforcement agencies with stronger powers to disrupt the IRGC’s activities in the UK, and to keep people safe. This could either be done by proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation under the existing Terrorism Act 2000. Or, in order to keep the existing regime solely for non-state groups like Al Qaeda, the government could amend the National Security Bill to create a parallel power to proscribe state bodies like the IRGC on the basis of their activity. Labour is urging the Government to come forward with amendments to the National Security Bill to tackle hostile state terror activity if existing counter-terrorism powers are not sufficient or specific enough to tackle the IRGC.

• The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall, has suggested this approach - arguing that “In principle the National Security Bill could contain a power to proscribe state bodies on the basis of their hostile activity, but does not.”