Starmer: 'No decision pending' on removal of Syrian rebel group from banned list

The UK is not reconsidering the ban on the Islamist group that has taken power in Syria, the Prime Minister has said, despite a Cabinet minister earlier suggesting the Government could take a swift decision on the matter.

Sir Keir Starmer told broadcasters on a diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia there was "no decision pending at all" on whether to remove Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the list of proscribed terrorist organisations, adding it was "far too early".

HTS, which overthrew Bashar Assad's regime at the weekend, is banned in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden

But its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani , cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate and inclusive organisation, leading some to suggest the group should no longer be proscribed.

An armed woman flashes the V for victory sign as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters, in the city of Qamishli | AFP via Getty Images

Earlier on Monday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said a decision on HTS needed to be taken quite quickly.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "They've been proscribed for quite a long time now.

"The leader of that group has distanced himself away from some of the things that have been said in the past. He is saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about respecting people's rights. So we'll look at that in the days to come."

He added: "We don't know what will happen in Syria right now, whether it's going to be a better future for the country, or whether it's going to be more chaos, no one can be certain about that right now.

"But obviously, if the situation stabilises, there'll be a decision to make about how to deal with whatever new regime is in place there."

He added: "I think it should be a relatively swift decision so it's something that will have to be considered quite quickly, given the speed of the situation on the ground."

But the Prime Minister's response suggests that no such consideration is currently under way.

Downing Street said on Monday that the Government keeps the regime of proscribed organisations "under regular review".

The rapid collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war saw a coalition of rebel groups seize Damascus on Sunday, with the former president fleeing to Russia , one of his main allies.

Mr Assad's British wife Asma is believed to be with him in Moscow , but the Prime Minister declined to say whether he would consider stripping her of her UK citizenship, adding it was "too early" to say.

He added: "At the moment we are hours, days into a fast-moving situation and that's why it's very important for us to continue to talk to our allies, including here in discussions I've been having today, to make sure that what happens next is peaceful.

"There's a lot of moving parts in that, a lot of risks, I absolutely accept, and challenges, but they are going to be best met if we work with our allies towards that peaceful resolution and the rejection, the utter rejection, of terrorism and violence."

The UK has paused decisions on asylum applications from Syrians following the collapse of the regime.

Thousands of Syrians have been granted asylum in the UK, but the Home Office said decisions on applications would now be paused while events unfold in Damascus .

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "We know the situation in Syria is moving extremely fast after the fall of the Assad regime. We have seen some people returning to Syria . We also have a very fast-moving situation that we need to closely monitor.

"And that is why like Germany , like France and like other countries, we have paused asylum decisions on cases from Syria while the Home Office reviews and monitors the current situation."

A Home Office spokesman said it would keep "all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues."

The UK followed countries including Germany, Austria and Sweden in suspending decisions on Syrian cases.

Syrians generated the fifth largest amount of asylum claims in the year ending September 2024, Home Office statistics showed - behind Pakistan , Afghanistan , Iran and Bangladesh.

Some 99 per cent of claims were granted at initial decision.

According to Home Office figures, 5,548 Syrians applied for asylum in the year to September 2024 . Some 4,069 were granted protection or another form of leave to remain in the UK in the same 12-month period.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy appeared unaware of the Government's decision as he addressed MPs on Monday, saying he had not considered calls to suspend claims.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said Mr Lammy referred to the "many displaced Syrians looking to return to Syria", adding: "Will the Government be providing assistance to those Syrians in this country who do wish to return their homeland? And will the Government look to follow the example of European nations, like Germany , who have suspended asylum applications?"

Mr Lammy replied in the Commons: "I have to say that that has not been put to me in the last few hours. The issue that's been put to me is the humanitarian need in country, the humanitarian support for neighbours."

Elsewhere, he said the situation could see a "flow" of people using "dangerous illegal migration routes" to Europe and the UK.

"Assad's demise brings no guarantee of peace. This is a moment of danger as well as opportunity for Syrians and for the region," Mr Lammy said.

"The humanitarian situation in Syria is dire, with almost 17 million people in need. Millions are refugees, largely still in neighbouring Turkey , Lebanon and Jordan .

"Seeing so many start to return to Syria is a positive sign for their hopes for a better future now that Assad is gone, but a lot depends on what happens now, this flow into Syria could quickly become a flow back out and potentially increase the numbers using dangerous illegal migration routes to continental Europe and the United Kingdom ."

The speed of the fall of the Assad regime caught out many international observers after years of bloody civil war between an array of groups and the Syrian military.

The Russian war in Ukraine and Iran's involvement in conflicts between its proxies and Israel meant two of Mr Assad's leading backers were preoccupied with their own difficulties, contributing to weakness in the Syrian regime.

In a sign of that volatility, Israel struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of "extremists" while the US military carried out air strikes against so-called Islamic State targets in the country on Sunday.