Western Sahara Conflict

Lord Polak Excerpts

Monday 27th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I think that is right, and that is what this Government are trying to do. This is a delicate and long-standing situation, and there is a need for absolute pragmatism at all times. That is what we have managed to do so far. As the noble Lord reminds us, there is an important decision to be made at the Security Council in the coming days. I will resist the temptation to get into a commentary about the politics of that. What matters is that we, alongside many others, take the opportunity—there is a window here—to see some progress and get the stability that people living in that part of the world so desperately need.

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords, the Moroccan Government have made massive investment into the Moroccan Sahara, as I will call it. I have visited Laayoune with colleagues and seen it. We know full well what the Iranians do: they destabilise wherever they can. To go back to the original Question from my noble friend, surely it is incumbent on the Government to support our allies against this destabilisation by the Iranians?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That is exactly what we do. My response to the noble Lord was about his specific Question around evidence. We do not have that. What we understand, though, is the way that Iran seeks to operate in very many contexts around the world. We abhor what it does, and the way that it seeks to use its influence to destabilise and upend such processes is something that we are very well aware of.