UK backs controversial autonomy offer for African region
The UK has endorsed Morocco's plan to grant limited autonomy to Western Sahara, ending decades of official neutrality in one of the most protracted territorial disputes in the North African region.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the shift during a visit to Morocco's capital, Rabat, on Sunday, where he met with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, and signed a series of cooperation agreements, including in infrastructure, healthcare, and water management.
'The UK… considers Morocco's autonomy proposal, submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,' Lammy said, according to a joint statement published on the British government's website following the talks.
The Western Sahara conflict has persisted since Morocco annexed the territory in 1975 following Spain's withdrawal. A UN-brokered ceasefire was established in 1991, but efforts to hold a referendum on the region's status have stalled.
In April 2007, Morocco submitted its Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara to the UN Security Council. According to the proposal, Rabat intends to delegate administrative, legislative, and judicial powers to local residents while retaining the Moroccan flag and currency. Morocco would also be in charge of the phosphate-rich region's foreign policy, security, and defense. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has pushed for full independence and seeks a UN-backed referendum – an idea Morocco has rejected.
A year ago, a group of British lawmakers wrote to then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron, urging the government to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the sparsely populated region. They described Rabat's proposal as the 'only realistic and pragmatic' option, noting its consistency with British trade policy and regional stability goals.
On Sunday, the UK foreign secretary said a resolution to the Western Sahara dispute is long overdue, adding that it 'would strengthen the stability of North Africa and the relaunch of the bilateral dynamic and regional integration.'
The move makes the UK the third permanent member of the UN Security Council, after the US and France, to support Rabat's position.
Algeria, which supports an independent Sahrawi state, said on Sunday it 'regrets the choice made by the United Kingdom to support the Moroccan autonomy plan.' It accused Morocco of attempting to use the proposal to delay a political settlement and legitimize 'the illegal occupation of Western Sahara.'
The former French colony previously responded strongly to similar endorsements, withdrawing its ambassador from Paris after France backed Morocco's autonomy plan in 2024.
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