B

Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 15 January 2026

Debate

Iran

Contribution

I need to repeat what I said: the future should be for the people of Iran to determine, not the UK Government. On the issue of asylum claims and the closure of the embassy, I understand what the noble Lord is saying, but our first priority—and this is always difficult—is to our UK staff who are based in Tehran. That is a long-established way of working: we have to look after those for whom we are directly responsible. That makes support for others in Tehran and Iran more difficult. We understand that, and it is why these decisions are not taken lightly, but we had to do that in order to secure their safety.

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