British MPs declared victory on Monday after the government signalled it will move to ban Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Conservative peer Byron Davies told The National he viewed the development as a breakthrough. “I take this as a win, a win in that we have persuaded the government and the Prime Minister has actually been persuaded to do something about it,” he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last week that Britain must “deal with malign state actors” and confirmed legislation would be brought forward “as quickly as possible”.
He also warned he was “very worried” about Iran’s increasing use of proxy groups. “We do need legislation in order to take necessary measures,” he said, adding that proposals would be introduced soon.
Mr Davies had led a campaign to force the government to include the IRGC proscription in its Crime and Policing Bill but nearly spolied the legislation before he withdrew the amendment.
The Conservative peer did this on Monday on the basis that ministers had indicated new measures would allow groups such as the IRGC to be formally proscribed. “It’ll be legislation brought forward to proscribe such groups, of which we will, on the basis of what the Prime Minister said, be pushing for the IRGC to be one of those,” he told The National.
Momentum has grown in recent weeks in response to heightened concern about Iranian-linked activity. An Islamist group suspected of ties to Tehran, Harakat Ashab Al Yamin Al Islamia, claimed responsibility for an attack on Jewish community ambulances in north London, alongside other incidents across the UK and Europe. The developments have intensified pressure on ministers to act.
Other European countries, as well as the EU, have already added the IRGC to their lists of proscribed terrorist organisations.
In the House of Lords, Security Minister David Hanson struck a more cautious tone, declining to provide a detailed timeline but confirmed the government’s intent.
“We don’t give a running commentary,” he said, but added that ministers “understand the need for action” and would bring forward legislation in the next parliamentary session.
The proposed measures are expected to go beyond existing antiterrorism laws and may include a framework to address state-linked threats, a move long recommended by security experts.
The IRGC has for years been accused by western governments of supporting militant groups and destabilising activities across the Middle East. Calls to ban the organisation in the UK intensified after the US designated it a foreign terrorist organisation in 2019.
However, British officials have stopped short of full proscription, citing the legal complexity of banning an arm of a sovereign state and the potential diplomatic fallout, including risks to British nationals detained in Iran and continuing nuclear negotiations.
Successive governments instead relied on sanctions targeting IRGC members but critics argued this fell short, insisting proscription would send a stronger political signal and expand the tools available to disrupt IRGC-linked activity in Britain.
