Iran: Protests

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Monday 12th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

The UK is clear in its condemnation of the regime’s brutality towards protesters. For many different reasons, we fundamentally support the right of those who are bravely taking to the streets and showing enormous courage to make their case in the way that they wish. Communication with the Iranian regime is something that my friend the Foreign Secretary will be actively considering.

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

My Lords, the murder of those people in Iran who wish simply to have a say in who governs them is utterly contemptible. There are early signs that these protests will become more widespread, but there are not early signs that there will be mass rebellions in the Iranian military. Is now not the time that we should proscribe as terrorist organisations all those bodies within Iran that are actively suppressing their own population, as well as putting UK national interests at risk? Secondly, and perversely, I have read that our ambassador has been summoned by Iranian Ministers to view the protests. Should we not summon the Iranian ambassador to ensure that there is no repression of Iranian nationals or any British interests here in the United Kingdom, and show that we are now willing rapidly to expand the human rights sanctions regime for all aspects of the Iranian Government that are carrying out these repressive actions?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

First, it is not correct that our ambassador in Tehran was summoned. They had a conversation when they attended the MFA for another purpose, but that is a very different situation from the one reported, which I think the noble Lord will have read. We do not comment about proscriptions ahead of time and we keep them under close review. However, I point noble Lords to the work done by Jonathan Hall and the suggestions that he made about proscription-like measures. The Government intend to implement these in due course.