London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The British government is reconsidering to remove the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from the terror status after their involvement in Syria’s recent regime change and ousting Bashar-al-Assad.
Pat McFadden, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, told the BBC that the situation in the country was “very fluid” and any changes to the ban would be made swiftly once stability is restored.
As reported by The Telegraph when questioned if the government would reconsider the ban, Mr McFadden stated, “Yeah, we will and we will consider that and I think it will partly depend on what happens in terms of how that group behaves now.”
He confirmed that no decision had been made yet by the UK government but stressed the importance of a quick review of HTS’s status given the fast-moving developments.
Mr McFadden 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.”
The UK government has banned Hayat Tahrir a;-Sham (HTS) as a terror group due to its previous connection with al-Qaeda.
After the overthrow of al-Assad and his flight from Syria on Sunday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the end of his rule.
While visiting the Middle East to boost trade and investment, Keir Starmer expressed his support for Assad’s government downfall, describing it as the end of a “barbaric regime.”
Sir Starmer also warned, “What we must also ensure is the rejection of terrorism and violence, and that civilians are protected, minorities are protected, and that can only be through a political process.”
The US also listed HTS as a terror group. Its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who once had relations with Al-Qaeda, broke away to rebrand the group as a nationalist force opposed to Assad.
He has softened his tone towards Syria’s religious minorities, such as Christians, and is expected to play an influential role in the country’s leadership after Assad’s rule.
The Syrian capital, Damascus, was seized by HTS and its rebel allies on Sunday.
The Home Secretary has the authority to ban an organization under the Terrorism Act 2000 if it is suspected of terrorism-related activities, such as promoting, participating, or preparing for terrorism, encouragement, and if such a move is deemed proportionate.
According to McFadden, the UK currently has no means of communication with HTS and was unaware of the government using an intermediary to establish any form of contact with the group.
In 2016, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, who now started using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, cut off his relations with al-Qaeda. He has since expressed his support for religious tolerance for groups and communities.
During an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday, McFadden was questioned if there were any plans to review HTS’s designation as a terror group. He replied, “Yes, obviously that’s got to be considered. They’ve been proscribed for quite a long time now.”
He added, “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.”
John Sawers, the former MI6 Chief, suggested on Sunday that the UK should reconsider its decision to proscribe Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Dame Priti Patel, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, stated that the Conservative’s focus is on “putting the Syrian people first” and urged the government to review the “security and defence implications and the terrorist risks” associated with the rebel groups.
Asma Assad, who was born in London and worked as an investment banker, met her husband in the English capital.
She has served as Syria’s first lady since 2000, and now it is believed that she is in Moscow with her husband, where the Syrian removed leader has fled.
Asked by the BBC what the Government would do if Mrs Assad wished to live in the UK, he stated, “The family are in Russia as far as we know, according to Russian state media.”