UK rejects call to ban investments in Western Sahara
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer has rejected a request from a member of parliament to ban British companies from investing in Western Sahara. «It is for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara», the government responded to a written question from Graham Leadbitter, a Scottish National Party (SNP) MP.
Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, reiterated that «the UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution».
This response mirrors that of Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, who recently addressed a similar question from a pro-Polisario MP urging the Spanish government to ban airlines from operating flights to the Sahara. «Decisions by private airlines are made between the companies themselves and the relevant civil aviation authorities; therefore, they are technical decisions», Albares stated.
In August 2024, the Labour government clarified in parliament that it does not consider «commercial activities in Western Sahara illegal, provided they respect the interests of the Sahrawi people». This stance aligns with a December 5, 2022, ruling by the British High Court, which rejected an appeal from the NGO Western Sahara Campaign UK (WSCUK) seeking to annul the Association Agreement between Morocco and the UK, which includes products from the Sahara.
In January, the Labour government appointed MP Ben Coleman as the new trade envoy for Morocco and West Africa.
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