The British wife of ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad is a sanctioned individual and is “not welcome here in the UK”, the Foreign Secretary has said.
David Lammy’s comments come after the Prime Minister said it was too early to say whether the Government would strip Asma Assad of her British citizenship.
Mrs Assad was born in London in 1975 and was raised and educated in the city. She is now believed to be in Moscow with her husband, where the overthrown leader has fled.
The rapid collapse of the Assad regime saw a coalition of rebel groups seize control of Damascus on Sunday.
Responding to questions in the Commons on Monday evening, Mr Lammy said: “I’ve seen mentioned in the last few days, Asma Assad potentially someone with UK citizenship that might attempt to come into our country, and I want it confirmed that she’s a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK.”
Asked about the possibility of the Government stripping Mrs Assad of her British citizenship, Sir Keir Starmer told broadcasters: “We are far too early in any decisions about anything.
“At the moment we are hours, days into a fast-moving situation and that’s why it’s very important for us to continue to talk to our allies, including here in discussions I’ve been having today, to make sure that what happens next is peaceful.
“There’s a lot of moving parts in that, a lot of risks, I absolutely accept, and challenges, but they are going to be best met if we work with our allies towards that peaceful resolution and the rejection, the utter rejection, of terrorism and violence.”
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier on Monday that the Government has had “no contact or no request” for Mrs Assad to come to the UK.
It is understood that referrals were made to the Metropolitan Police’s war crimes team in relation to Mrs Assad in 2020 and 2021, but the matter was subsequently dropped.
