Britain’s Parliamentary Election and the Future of Tehran-London Relations

18 August 2010 | 19:01 Code : 7556 Editorial
By Majid Tafreshi.
Britain’s Parliamentary Election and the Future of Tehran-London Relations
The inconclusive parliamentary elections of May 6 have cast a shadow of ambiguity over the future government of Britain and prompted speculation about possible alliances between the three leading parties, Tory, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. (Although, a coalition government formed by Tory and Liberal Democrats is the most probable scenario.) But how could any of these potential coalitions affect the future of Britain’s diplomacy towards Middle East affairs, particularly its relations with Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan?

Afghanistan was a key debate topic in the parliamentary election campaign. Traditionally, London’s relations with Kabul have been better in comparison with its relations with Baghdad. The basic matters of concern between Britain and Afghanistan are immigration, human trafficking and the illegal narcotics trade. Britain is trying to project the image of a commanding force in Afghanistan, especially when it comes to the situation in Helmand Province, which is under the control of British troops.

In Iraq, the war against terrorism is Britain’s priority. Both traditional powers, Labour and Tory, have come to the conclusion that an ‘as-soon-as-possible’ withdrawal from Iraq -albeit in a manner which would not undermine the economic interests and the prestige of their country- is a must, though it should be coordinated with the Iraqi government. For Britain, it is of the utmost importance to keep an economic foothold in Iraq after withdrawal of British forces.

With respect to Iran, the Labour Party has remained critical of it, largely following the United States’ Iran policy. Against this image, the Conservatives seem more compromising. This is partially due to the general policies of the Tory Party, but also the impact of the ideas of Norman Lamont - chairman of the British Iranian Chamber of Commerce and a figure known in Britain’s political circles as a supporter of improvement of ties with Iran.

The Liberal Democrats -who who prefer critical cooperation with the United States- have never ceased to criticize the Labour government’s attitude towards Iran. They believe that much as his predecessor Tony Blair, Gordon Brown is mimicking Washington’s hostile approach towards Tehran, particularly on Iran’s nuclear program and its relations with Palestinian groups. Nevertheless, in other challenges related to Iran –such as human rights issues and women’s rights- the Liberal Democratic Party is less compromising compared with its rivals. A review of British parliamentary debates shows that most of the criticisms of the situation of minority ethnicities and of women and human rights in Iran have come from the Liberal Democrats, while Labour and Tory also have complaints.

Majid Tafreshi is historiographer and author of the Yesterday and Today weblog. He currently lives in London.