Conservative MP Bob Blackman: ”Proscribing the IRGC would send a very clear signal that the UK will not tolerate state-backed extremism, intimidation or support for terrorism.”

”While proscription alone would not eliminate antisemitism or anti-Israel extremism, it could strengthen the ability of the authorities to disrupt networks, financing and organised activity linked to hostile actors.”

 

A new British legislation set up to ban hostile state-backed groups including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has moved closer to becoming law after clearing the House of Lords, Jewish News reported.

The Bill will make it easier to designate state-linked organisations, such as the IRGC, as national security risks and introduce tougher penalties for those working for or supporting such groups.

MPs have passed the Bill unopposed at its third reading last month and sent it to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Shabana Mahmood said the Bill will be a “powerful tool to tackle hostile states and those who act on their behalf”.

It aims to make it easier for the UK to combat threats from state-linked organisations, by designating them as a national security risk.

People working for such groups and their proxies could face up to 14 years in jail, under the new powers.

In the House of Commons, Mahmood said: “In relation to Iran, Members will be aware that two men await trial under the National Security Act for the surveillance of Jewish sites. While investigations remain ongoing, the police are exploring potential links between Iran and the spate of arson attacks directed at our Jewish community in London. Faced with this intolerable hostility, our nation has bolstered its defences.”

In a powerful speech, Mark Sewards MP, the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary chair, added: “There is no clearer threat to the UK and the British Jewish community than that posed by the IRGC. We know that the IRGC directs terror abroad, and we know it funds Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas.

“We know that it brutally crushes dissent at home in Iran and murdered more than 30,000 people in the January protests, and it continues to repress its people as well as cut off internet access, which makes us unable to update the figures and to know what is truly going on in some parts of the country.

“We know that the IRGC is a clear and present danger to Britain’s national security. It plans terror attacks here, it tries to radicalise people here, and it promotes extremism here.”

Outgoing Keir Starmer had promised to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards by introducing legislation in the next session of parliament in July.

Last February, the European Union  decided to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran to the EU terrorist list. 

Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who has long supported the prescription of the IRGC, said in an interview with European Jewish Press that ‘’there is a strong case for treating it in the same way as other terrorist organisations that threaten British interests, undermine regional stability and promote extremist activity.’’

‘’Many parliamentarians across both Houses have expressed frustration that this step has not yet been taken despite previous indications from the Government. The Iranian regime continues to use the IRGC as a vehicle for repression at home and intimidation abroad, and there is increasing concern about its activities on British soil. I also believe that we must shut down the Iranian embassy in London and the Iranian staff including diplomats expelled and deported. We must then seize hostile regime-linked assets and any remaining funds still inside the UK to kill the weed of this horrific regime’s reach in our country at its root.’’

Do you think that proscribing the IRGC will reduce anti-semitism in the UK?

Proscribing the IRGC would send a very clear signal that the UK will not tolerate state-backed extremism, intimidation or support for terrorism. While proscription alone would not eliminate antisemitism or anti-Israel extremism, it could strengthen the ability of the authorities to disrupt networks, financing and organised activity linked to hostile actors. The sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years requires a firm and consistent response from Government and law enforcement agencies. No Jew is safe in our country until every last agent of this murderous regime has been driven from British soil, and every

Could you elaborate on charities in the UK that have links to the IRGC?

Any pro-Iranian regime charities should be shut down and the Iranian nationals involved deported. Charitable organisations operating in Britain must comply fully with British law and should be subject to rigorous transparency requirements regarding funding and overseas influence. My view is that the Government and relevant agencies must remain vigilant against any attempt by hostile states to use community or charitable structures to spread intimidation, extremist ideology or political influence.

Will Iran’s terrorist activities in Europe continue?

The Iranian regime’s destabilising activities are not solely dependent on conventional military strength. Iran has developed extensive networks through proxies, intelligence operations and ideological organisations across the Middle East and beyond, including in Europe. Even where the regime faces internal pressure or external setbacks, it may still seek to project influence through asymmetric means, cyber activity, intimidation campaigns and support for extremist groups. That is why any long-term strategy must address not only military concerns but also the regime’s wider infrastructure of influence as well as soft power. A nation cannot protect its citizens when it has lost control of extremism within its own borders. Britain must choose now: restore order and enforce consequences, or continue sleepwalking into a dark future.

Will there be regime change in Iran?

Iran remains a deeply unstable and repressive state, with widespread public dissatisfaction over corruption, economic decline and political freedoms. The courage shown by many Iranian protesters, particularly women and young people, has demonstrated the extent of opposition to the current regime. Ultimately, any change in Iran must come from the Iranian people themselves, and many supporters of the democratic opposition, including the NCRI, argue that there is a viable alternative vision for a secular and democratic Iran. The international community should continue to support human rights, freedom of expression and democratic aspirations for the Iranian people.

What is your message to British Jews alarmed by the rise of anti-semitism in the UK?

The rise in antisemitism in Britain is completely unacceptable, and I fully understand why many British Jews feel deeply concerned about the current climate. Let me be clear: there can be no tolerance for the advocacy of violence, support for terrorist organisations, or incitement to hatred against Jews or any other community. The safety of British Jews, and indeed all communities, must be a core responsibility of the government. The authorities must continue to take firm action against antisemitic hate crime, extremist intimidation and support for terrorist organisations. Britain has a proud Jewish history, and it is vital that this country remains a place where Jewish people can live openly, safely and with confidence in the future.

Additional information:

Following Starmer’s resignation, his successor is expected to be Andy Burnham,  the mayor of Greater Mancheste and a former cabinet minister under Labour governments led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, marking a rapid shift in Labour Party leadership amid growing political pressure and weak approval ratings.

Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is expected to become Labour leader without a formal leadership contest after winning a parliamentary seat in a local election last month. If no other candidate enters the race, he could take office as early as July 20.

The 56-year-old’s rise follows mounting dissatisfaction with Starmer’s leadership after Labour’s support weakened amid a stagnant economy, policy disputes and growing competition from Reform UK.

A former cabinet minister under Labour governments led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Burnham spent the past nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, building a reputation as a regional leader focused on devolving power away from London.