Iran: Protests

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Monday 12th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That must be an incredibly difficult situation to be in. Communications are limited at best or non-existent, and the support that our team in Tehran is able to provide is incredibly limited. I can only imagine the concern, worry and heartache currently being felt by those with people who they love and care for in Iran.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Kennedy, has stated that the Iranians do not want outside interference to achieve regime change, but, without outside interference, how will the regime be changed?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We are mindful of how we express our views, because of the reasons that I think are implied by the noble Lord’s question: the regime in Iran attempts to suggest that those who, of their own free will, take to the streets to protest are somehow foreign interference or meddling by external powers. They are clearly not. These are people who feel so strongly and who, at great risk and sometimes at the cost of their lives, are taking to the streets to call for the freedom that we so wish they could enjoy.