Now ban the IRGC, Labour MPs tell Starmer
The Government announced it will list Palestine Action as a terrorist group after its activists breached security at an air base on Friday and damaged two RAF planes.
Labour backbenchers are now calling on the Prime Minister to take the same approach towards the IRGC as Iran's war with Israel entered its second week.
Initially founded as an ideological custodian of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, the IRGC has since become a major military, economic and political force.
Labour called for the IRGC to be proscribed while it was in opposition, but has failed to commit to the move almost a year on from winning the election.
Luke Akehurst, the Labour MP for North Durham, said: 'I thoroughly welcome the move to proscribe Palestine Action after their violent attacks on defence companies and, most alarmingly, on RAF Brize Norton.
'It's now urgent, given the conflict in Iran, that the Government moves to proscribe the IRGC, which is a terrorist organisation that represents a significant threat, including here in the UK.'
Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, added: 'As much as I have no time for Palestine Action, it's quite clear who the bigger threat to our national security is.
'They should have done it a long time ago, but the second-best time is now.'
The IRGC is openly supportive of the Iranian proxy groups Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which have been proscribed by the UK Government.
Like Hamas and Hezbollah, it has a hardline Islamist ideology. The IRGC has also publicly stated its ambition to seize all Palestinian territories and Jerusalem from Israel.
On Saturday, Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, also threw his weight behind calls to proscribe the organisation.
Mr Farage told The Telegraph: 'The Iranian regime has clearly been funding propaganda hubs and promoting terror throughout the UK.
'It's high time action was taken by the Government to safeguard our institutions and communities from Iranian influence. The Government must finally proscribe the IRGC.'
Palestine Action is a direct action group that has conducted a campaign of vandalism and trespass against companies and property it claims are linked to 'Zionism' since the Oct 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas.
The group was founded in 2020 and has targeted an Israeli-owned arms company as well as a number of universities.
It claimed responsibility on Friday after two vandals broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, spraying red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft. The attack is being investigated by counter-terror police.
Proscription will mean that assets and money can be seized from Palestine Action, something that supporters of a ban on the IRGC argue would help efforts to fight Islamist ideology and terror plots on British soil.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had killed a second commander of the IRGC's overseas arm during a precision strike on his vehicle in western Tehran.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
m002gqgx (GIF Image, 1 × 1 pixels)
The World Tonight The World Tonight August 4, 2025 37 minutes Available for 6 days Reports out of Israel suggest Benjamin Netanyahu is considering expanding military operations in Gaza, despite growing opposition to the war. Hundreds of Israeli security officials have signed a letter to US President Trump urging him to intervene and stop the war. We speak to one of them, former head of the Israeli Secret Service Shin Bet. Nigel Farage has called on the police to release the immigration status of suspects charged with crimes following the arrest of two men in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Warwickshire. And after a spell-binding last test match, we'll ask where this summer's series between England and India sit in the cricketing pantheon.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Tories demand Reeves ‘urgently rule out' investment tax hikes
The Tories claim scrapping the £500 dividend allowance will drag an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying investment levies. The party is seeking to pile pressure on ministers after a memo sent by Angela Rayner to Ms Reeves, in which the Deputy Prime Minister suggested a series of tax hikes, was leaked to the press. In the document, Ms Rayner proposed removing the dividend allowance to raise around £325 million a year in revenue, as well as axing inheritance tax relief for AIM shares and increasing dividend tax rates, the Telegraph reported. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'The Government need to urgently rule out these tax hikes on savers and investors before speculation causes further economic harm. 'Labour don't understand how business works and how to create growth. More taxes on investment, entrepreneurship and saving are the last thing our economy needs right now.' The Government's U-turns over welfare reform and winter fuel payments have left the Chancellor with a multibillion-pound black hole to fill, fuelling speculation that she will seek to raise revenue through tax hikes. The Tories claimed axing the dividend allowance would drag 'an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying dividend tax'. This figure appears to be based on an assumption that at least 8.82 million people in the UK hold shares that pay dividends. Some 3.6 million are already subject to dividend tax, according to data obtained by investment platform AJ Bell through a Freedom of Information request. The Chancellor last year said she would not be 'coming back with more borrowing or more taxes' after her first budget but has since refused to rule out raising specific levies, saying it would be 'irresponsible' to do so. A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'The Conservatives have some brass neck. They've still not apologised for the damage caused by the Liz Truss mini-Budget, nor the £22 billion black hole they left – which hammered firms and families across the country. 'Labour is doing more to support business than the Tories ever could. 'We've already delivered three historic trade deals and four interest rate cuts – to reduce costs and put money back in people's pockets.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Police warn of mass arrests if Palestine Action protest goes ahead
Police are warning of mass arrests if a protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action goes ahead on Saturday. Hundreds of people are expected to turn out for the demonstration, which is understood to be planned for London. However, the Metropolitan Police said "anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested." "We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system," said a spokesperson. The organisers, a pressure group called Defend Our Juries, denied their protest will try to overwhelm the police and justice system. "If we are allowed to protest peacefully and freely, then that is no bother to anyone," said the group in a statement. 1:29 Palestine Action was banned under terrorism laws after two aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the vandalism of the planes was "disgraceful" and accused the group of a "long history of unacceptable criminal damage". The ban means membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. More than 200 people supporting the group were arrested at Defend Our Juries protests across the UK last month, many of whom held placards with the message: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." Downing Street has urged people not to attend this weekend's protest. It comes after around 40 people gathered outside Labour HQ on Monday to protest the party's stance on Gaza. They were watched by a small group of police officers as they chanted phrases including: "Shame on Keir Starmer, shame on the Labour Party, shame on David Lammy." Separately, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has also confirmed it will protest this weekend, with community organisations marching through central London to Downing Street on Sunday. They are calling for the government not to recognise the state of Palestine without all hostages taken by Hamas being released. Last week, Sir Keir Starmer said he planned to recognise Palestine by the UN General Assembly meeting in September, unless Israel met certain conditions including agreeing a ceasefire and improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
