MPs urge Starmer to fast-track IRGC ban as pressure mounts
128 MPs and peers warn UK risks falling behind allies unless Iran’s IRGC is urgently proscribed
More than 120 MPs and peers from across Parliament have urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to urgently bring forward legislation to ban Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the UK.
In a cross-party letter sent to Downing Street on Thursday, 128 parliamentarians welcomed confirmation that the Home Office is preparing legislation to allow hostile state bodies, including the IRGC, to be proscribed. However, they warned that no timeline has been set and said action must now be taken quickly.
“With the situation in Iran deteriorating rapidly and the IRGC’s hostile activities continuing abroad, it is vital that this legislation be prioritised and brought forward urgently,” the letter states.
The letter is led by Conservative peer Lord Polak CBE and Labour’s Lord Mendelsohn, and is co-signed by MPs and peers from all major parties.
Signatories argue that the IRGC is not a normal military organisation but a central pillar of the Iranian regime, responsible for violent repression inside Iran and for exporting extremism and terrorism overseas. They point to the regime’s ongoing crackdown on protesters, including mass arrests, arbitrary detentions and killings, alongside what they describe as the IRGC’s hostile activities abroad.
The letter also refers to warnings from Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, which has previously raised concerns about Iran’s attempts to interfere in UK political and civic life, including through intimidation and cyber activity.
A key concern raised by the parliamentarians is the IRGC’s record of antisemitism and its support for terrorist organisations already banned in the UK, including Hezbollah and Hamas. They warn that Jewish communities, journalists and Iranian dissidents have all been threatened by the regime’s actions.
The signatories say the UK risks falling behind its allies if it does not act. “The European Union has taken decisive steps to proscribe the IRGC. Any delay of action from the United Kingdom risks leaving us out of step with our closest partners,” the letter states.
They urge the Government to ensure that forthcoming legislation recommended by Jonathan Hall KC is brought forward without delay, so the IRGC can be proscribed in its entirety.
Jewish community leaders also renewed calls for urgent action following the EU’s decision. In a statement issued this week, the Jewish Leadership Council said the move was long overdue, citing the “lethal threat the Iranian regime poses to Jewish communities worldwide” and the IRGC’s role in Tehran’s violent crackdown on protesters.
The JLC warned that despite previous commitments, no new UK legislation has yet been produced to allow the IRGC to be banned. “That is not good enough,” the statement said, adding that “the time for inaction is over”.
The organisation urged the Government to act immediately, calling for legislation to be brought forward and used to proscribe the IRGC and send a clear message that the UK will not tolerate state-backed terrorism, antisemitism or threats to national security.
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