MPs back new legislation paving the way for ban on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
MPs passed the Bill unopposed at its third reading on Wednesday, sending it to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
MPs have backed new legislation paving the way for a ban on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The National Security (State Threats) Bill, introduced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, aims to provide the UK with a more effective tool to combat hostile states and those who act on their behalf.
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 passed the Bill unopposed at its third reading on Wednesday, sending it to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
In the 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.”
She also noted the UK now has more than 550 sanctions against Iranian-linked individuals and organisations, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety.
Mahmood continued: “There has long been a desire to ban state-linked organisations from operating in this country, and to target those who facilitate them.
“That is why the Government made a manifesto commitment to deal with state-backed domestic security threats in the same way that we tackle terrorism.
“The question was how to create the right legal power to do so. My predecessor, now the Foreign Secretary, tasked Jonathan Hall KC, the Government’s independent reviewer of terrorism and state threats legislation, with answering that question.”
The legislation follows a recommendation from the Government’s terror law watchdog who said existing laws did not cover state-backed groups.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to fast-track the Bill following a series of attacks on Jews in recent months.
However, the Conservative Party criticised the Government for allocating only one day for Commons debate on the Bill.
Shadow Home Office Minister Alicia Kearns expressed concern that the Bill might “collapse” in court due to insufficient parliamentary scrutiny.
She added: “The case for these powers was made well over a year ago. Parliament’s role is not simply to approve legislation but to rigorously test it and identify weaknesses before adversaries can exploit them.”
But Kearns noted: “There is a national emergency of antisemitism in our country. Jewish families, many of whose parents and grandparents came to these shores fleeing persecution, now find themselves looking over their shoulders once more.
“They have endured threats, intimidation and violence on a scale that this House swore we would never see again, and Jewish lives have become smaller. The Bill is a step towards ending that, because much of the activity is fomented, funded and directed from beyond our borders.
“In the face of that national emergency, and attacks on our Jewish communities, a Bill that confronts hostile state activity on British soil is not just welcome but overdue, because a hostile state is not a gang or a terrorist cell. That is what makes this Bill so difficult, and why it demands such care.”
Labour MP Luke Akehurst added: “According to the director general of MI5, MI5 tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots in 2024.
“The IRGC is Tehran’s prime weapon in exerting influence here in the UK and in many other countries. That influence has targeted the British Jewish community to devastating effect.
“We have seen proxy groups carrying out a horrific spate of arson attacks designed to terrorise our Jewish communities and normalise antisemitic hate.
“These are not just attacks on British Jews; they are attacks on the values that we all hold dear as a nation. Jewish community leaders, including the Chief Rabbi, have demanded robust action to take on the threat that Iran’s proxy campaign of terror poses to British Jews.
“Today, our Labour Government are heeding those demands and continuing to stand with Britain’s Jewish community. This Bill empowers Ministers to disrupt and deter the activities of state and state-linked entities, as well as those working with them, that target and terrorise British civilians.
“Such a power was recommended by the independent reviewer of state threats legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, as the best way for the Government to achieve their manifesto commitment of dealing with terrorism and adopting legislation to deal with state-based security threats.”
For the Conservatives, Oliver Dowden MP said: “In Hertsmere, I have the privilege of representing one of the largest Jewish communities in the country.
“For that community, this is not just an abstract debate about legal architecture; it is real. It is about whether people feel safe at synagogue. It is about whether parents feel confident in sending their children to Jewish schools.
“It is about whether community centres, charities and places of worship can operate without fear. The Jewish community has long seen the malign role of Iran and its proxies.
“After the terrible spate of recent attacks, they live in a different world—one in which fear and intimidation have deepened and intensified near to breaking point. I therefore hope that the Government genuinely understand that fear and that they will use the powers granted by the legislation to act and to act fast.”
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.”
Former Tory minister Tom Tugendhat noted there is “a real concern, particularly given what is going on in the Persian gulf at the moment, that when the Iranian Government were last given access to vast amounts of cash about 10 years ago, they used that money to murder Syrians, Iraqis, Yemenis and, in fact, anybody else they could get their hands on, and to boost their propaganda arms.”
He added:”That did enormous harm not just to the Jewish community—but to the UK and the whole of western civilisation, including the French, the Germans and many others.”
Bob Blackman MP said: “We know that operatives from Iran, whether it is the IRGC or other state-based organisations, are taking action right now on our university campuses to stir up trouble and antisemitism. They are taking direct action, as has been said, against Jewish businesses, synagogues and, indeed, even now places where Jewish people live.
“That is absolutely unacceptable, and the people responsible obviously have to be brought to justice, but the organisations that they are part of must also be brought to justice and prevented from operating. All we can do is pass this legislation and hope that the Home Secretary can take the necessary decisions.”
Mahmood echoing the PM stressed the “need for speed” in response to “recent events” targeting the Jewish community, and ongoing threats to the country.
Tugendhat also said the Bill is seeking “the rapid answer rather than the complete one”, adding: “What it misses, very slightly, is that challenge that is bound to come.”
In an attempt to block the Bill going through all its parliamentary stages in one day, the Conservatives pushed a vote on the allocation of time on Wednesday.
This bid was rejected by 233 votes to 94, majority 139.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
