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Western Sahara: Self-determination of States

Asked by Andy SlaughterLabourForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 26 February 2026UIN 113476

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September to Question UIN 74747 on Western Sahara: Visits Abroad, whether the blocking of visits by (a) parliamentarians, (b) researchers, (c) journalists and (d) lawyers to occupied Western Sahara was discussed in the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue with Morocco in December 2025.

Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer

The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara.

In the joint UK-Morocco strategic dialogue communiqué of 1 June 2025, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on human rights issues. The third iteration of the UK-Morocco Human Rights Dialogue took place on 24 November 2025 in London, where senior officials discussed areas including freedom of expression, rights of minorities, and judicial reforms.

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