Muslim Brotherhood

Lord Godson Excerpts

Monday 5th January 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Godson]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the White House fact sheet “President Donald J. Trump Begins Process to Designate Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists”, published on 24 November 2025; and whether they intend to adopt a similar designation in relation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

[The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)]

It is the Government’s long-standing position not to comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters, including whether or not a specific organisation is being considered for proscription. The Government’s approach to threats in the UK is kept under constant review. We will continually assess the threat picture and work closely with a wide range of experts and partners to ensure that our approach remains fit for purpose.

[Lord Godson (Con)]

I thank the Minister for his Answer. Of course he, along with other Ministers, has spoken about other individual organisations—the IRGC has been discussed in this House, as was Polisario a few weeks ago and other far right organisations—so we do discuss these matters. Secondly, it is not just an intelligence matter; it is a political and policy matter relating to the sectarian agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Trump Administration believe has also engaged in terrorism. It is not just the Trump Administration: all our key European allies have produced reports now on the Muslim Brotherhood, such as the French interior ministry last year and the German Federal Government and its agencies—the Verfassungsschutz. Why is this country now an outlier in not giving a proper analysis to the country of what threat this organisation constitutes here and abroad?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord to be able to say that we are not an outlier. I am replying regarding the position on proscription. The Trump Administration’s report has not yet been completed. We keep the issue of proscription under review. We will always look at threats taking place from any organisation and act accordingly. We have a number of legislative and security options to deal with that, but we will not comment on the specific issue of proscription at this time.