The United Kingdom may discontinue its 2017 terrorist designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, following the Islamist group's prominent role in the uprising which toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Senior Labor Party cabinet minister Pat McFadden told Sky News on Monday the possibility of normalizing relations with the former al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliate would be examined based on “how that group behaves now."
“But I think countries around the world who proscribed this, it is not just the U.K., the United States, European countries as well, I think probably will look at that now and see what is going to happen in the future,” he added.
The former head of the country’s MI6 intelligence service, John Sawers, shared with the news outlet on Sunday his opinion that the classification should be reassessed, noting, “it would be rather ridiculous, actually, if we’re unable to engage with the new leadership in Syria because of a proscription dating back 12 years,” and described the Syrian opposition's actions as a “liberation movement.”
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary for the Conservative Party, emphasized her caucus is focused on "putting the Syrian people first" and called for a thorough review of "security and defense implications as well as the terrorist risks" posed by the insurgent factions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Monday that no conclusion has been reached on the issue, as it is "far too early" to evaluate how HTS will govern.
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