David Lammy today warned the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship in Syria could spark a fresh migration crisis in Europe and a surge in illegal arrivals to Britain.
The Foreign Secretary welcomed the downfall of Assad’s brutal regime in the Middle Eastern country and said it presented an ‘opportunity’ for Syrians.
But he also warned it was a ‘moment of danger’ for the war-torn nation and the wider region, as Mr Lammy noted Syria had proven to be a ‘hotbed of extremism’.
His warning came as the Home Office paused decisions on asylum applications from Syrians amid the current turmoil.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged the victorious rebel group who ousted Assad to reject violence after seizing control of capital Damascus.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group formerly known as the Al-Nusra Front before a merger with various other groups, was previously an offshoot of Al-Qaeda.
Although it severed ties with Al-Qaeda a number of years ago, HTS remains on the UK’s list of proscribed terror groups.
Syrians gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus to celebrate the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime
A policeman from the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) so-called ‘Salvation Government’ stands guard in front of Syria’s Central Bank in Damascus
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged the victorious rebel group who ousted Assad to reject violence after seizing control
In a statement to the House of Commons on the events of recent days, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there had been an ‘extraordinary change’ in Syria over the past fortnight
Speaking in Saudi Arabia during his visit to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sir Keir said: ‘The situation is obviously very volatile in Syria.
‘It is very good that Assad is gone, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that what follows is settled by any means at all.
‘It is really important that we talk to our regional allies, our global allies about the way forward, which has to be a political way forward.
‘And that does mean… a rejection of terrorism, a rejection of violence, we have to be very clear about the terms.
‘It’s very early days but these are the discussions we are having with our allies.’
Millions of Syrians fled the country after the outbreak of civil war more than 13 years ago and the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on opponents.
Thousands of Syrians have since been granted asylum in the UK, but the Home Office said decisions on applications would now be paused while events unfold.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The Home Office has paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation.
‘We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues.’
In a statement to the House of Commons on the events of recent days, Mr Lammy said there had been an ‘extraordinary change’ in Syria over the past fortnight.
But he warned that Assad’s removal was ‘no guarantee of peace’ and could have far-reaching consequences.
The Foreign Secretary told MPs the current flow of refugees back into Syria from neighbouring areas ‘could quickly become a flow back out’.
He suggested this could see a repeat of the events of 2015, when Europe faced a migration crisis, and even lead to an uptick in small boat crossings in the Channel.
Mr Lammy also signalled Britain would not yet be removing HTS from a list of banned terror groups and said the Government would judge the group ‘by their actions’.
The Foreign Secretary said: ‘Assad’s demise brings no guarantee of peace. This is a moment of danger, as well as opportunity, for Syrians and for the region.
‘The humanitarian situation in Syria is dire with almost 17 million people in need.
‘Millions of refugees – largely still in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
‘Seeing so many start to return to Syria is a positive sign for their hopes for a better future now that Assad is gone.
‘But a lot depends on what happens now. This flow into Syria could quickly become a flow back out and potentially increase the numbers using dangerous, illegal migration routes to continental Europe and the UK.’
HTS was added to the Home Office’s list of terror groups in 2017 as an alternative name for Al-Qaeda.
But its leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani is said to have cut ties with Al-Qaeda years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate organisation.
Mr Lammy warned Syria had ‘proven a hotbed of extremism’ in recent times/
‘This House will know the group whose offensive first pushed back the regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS, are also a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK as an alias of Al-Qaeda,’ he added.
‘That should rightly make us cautious. Thus far HTS has offered reassurances to minorities in Aleppo, Hama and Damascus.
‘They have also committed to cooperating with the international community over monitoring chemical weapons.
‘We will judge HTS by their actions, monitoring closely how they and other parties to their conflict treat all civilians in areas they control.’