UK Backs Morocco’s Western Sahara Plan: How Did Algeria Respond?

Morocco continues to gain support from major powers for its autonomy plan to resolve the Western Sahara conflict—an issue seen as a key pillar of its foreign policy.

The latest endorsement came from the United Kingdom, joining the ranks of the U.S., Spain, and France in backing Morocco’s proposal.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the “most viable and pragmatic basis.” Speaking alongside his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in Rabat on June 1, 2025, Lammy called for seizing the current momentum to reach “a lasting resolution of the dispute.”

He urged all parties to engage urgently and constructively in the UN-led political process, stressing that the time has come to end the dispute and secure a better future for the people of the region.

Following the meeting, Lammy and Bourita signed a joint statement reaffirming the UK’s stance. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Britain emphasized the importance of moving forward with the file to help stabilize North Africa.

The UK position was welcomed by Morocco’s governing coalition parties, including the National Rally of Independents, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, and the Istiqlal Party. The opposition Justice and Development Party also voiced support.

Morocco’s autonomy proposal envisions a regional government and parliament with broad local powers, while maintaining national symbols, such as the flag, currency, army, and security, under Rabat’s authority.

Meanwhile, the Polisario Front continues to demand a referendum on self-determination, backed by Algeria, which has supported the movement politically, economically, and militarily since the conflict began in 1975. Algeria also hosts refugee camps in Tindouf, near its southern border.

The Opposing Camp

Algeria swiftly voiced its disappointment following the UK’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, calling instead for respect for international legitimacy and the UN’s decolonization principles.

In a statement issued on June 1, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry argued that Morocco’s proposal—first introduced 18 years ago—was never presented to the Sahrawi people as a basis for negotiation, nor taken seriously by UN envoys.

The statement stressed that the UK did not mention or endorse Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over Western Sahara, nor did it express support for such a position.

By doing so, Algeria said, Britain had refrained from legitimizing what it called “the illegal occupation” of a territory still listed by the UN as non-self-governing.

The ministry urged the UK, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to hold Morocco accountable to its international responsibilities and uphold the UN’s decolonization doctrine.

On the political front in Algeria, the National Construction Movement expressed deep regret over the joint statement issued by the British and Moroccan foreign ministers.

In a statement released on June 2, the party emphasized that the Western Sahara conflict is officially listed by the United Nations as a decolonization issue. It argued that Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal was presented in a non-serious context, aimed at misleading international public opinion.

Activist and researcher Moncef Yazghi said Algeria’s foreign ministry was the first—and only—one to issue a statement reacting to the UK’s position, which reaffirms Algeria’s role as a direct party to the conflict, despite its repeated denials.

Posting on Facebook, Yazghi noted that “Algeria rushed to issue its statement even before anything was heard from the Polisario—the party most concerned by the matter.”

“For half a century, Algeria has armed, funded, and mobilized its diplomacy in favor of the Polisario militias, under the claim that defending peoples' right to liberation is its sacred mission.”

However, he criticized what he saw as Algeria’s selective activism, pointing out its silence on crises like Tigray, Kashmir, and the Uyghurs. As for Palestine, he said, Algeria’s stance has been exposed as hypocritical and insincere.

The recent shift in Britain’s stance on Western Sahara prompted a strong response from Hamma Salama, President of the National Council of the Polisario Front, who asserted that “the Sahrawi people have the stamina to endure and resist.”

Speaking during a meeting with Polisario members in Mauritania, Salama stressed the group’s commitment to pursuing its goals by all legitimate means until achieving the vision set forth by the Polisario since its founding.

According to Mauritanian outlet Alakhbar on June 2, 2025, Salama reaffirmed that the Polisario’s revolution was declared as a long-term struggle aimed at full freedom, independence, and the establishment of a Sahrawi state.

The Sahrawi people draw legitimacy from the justice of their cause, international recognition of their right to self-determination and independence, and the continued presence of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), as per the same source.

A Polisario delegation visited Mauritania on May 30, 2025, where they met with President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and delivered a message from the group’s leader, Brahim Ghali.

‘Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara’

International relations expert Ahmed Nour al-Din described Britain’s latest stance on Western Sahara as a clear and strong endorsement of Morocco’s position and its autonomy initiative.

Speaking to Al-Estiklal, Nour al-Din said the British position sends an unambiguous response to the escalatory rhetoric adopted by Algeria and the Polisario Front since December 2020, particularly their calls to resume armed struggle.

“The joint declaration between London and Rabat went beyond traditional political support, laying the groundwork for a broad strategic partnership encompassing military, security, and economic cooperation,” he added.

“This includes agreements on military manufacturing, naval defense, counter-drone strategies, cyber security, and joint counter-terrorism efforts.

“These developments point to an advanced alliance based on mutual trust and strategic interests,” Nour al-Din said.

The expert highlighted the declaration’s explicit rejection of conflict resolution through violence, clearly aimed at those betting on force to alter facts on the ground. He argued that this reinforces the legitimacy of Morocco’s autonomy-based approach.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Britain’s commitment to a swift and lasting resolution of the Sahara dispute carries particular weight, especially as the joint statement aligns with Morocco’s call to conclude the matter within the framework of the United Nations.

London’s description of the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the “most viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Nour el-Din said, strengthens its centrality in the global debate, implying that alternatives, especially those supported by Algeria, lack seriousness and viability.

He insisted this was more than a diplomatic gesture; it reflected alignment in principles, commitments, and shared interests that converge in open support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.

Political analyst Samir Bennis also viewed the UK’s move as highly significant, telling The Voice (Sawt al-Maghrib) on June 2 that Britain’s support was “not just symbolic.”

He saw it as a stark indicator of an irreversible trend, arguing that a resolution of Morocco’s territorial dispute is now only a matter of time. The UK stance, Bennis noted, aligns with those of France and Spain and carries historical weight. He pointed out that Britain was the only European power to sign the March 13, 1895 treaty recognizing the current Western Sahara as Moroccan territory, prior to Morocco’s loss of independence under French and Spanish colonial rule in 1912.

Bennis described the UK's new position as a “decisive step toward correcting a historic wrong,” referring to its role in the dismemberment of Moroccan territory. He also highlighted Britain's announcement of £5 billion in investments across Morocco, including in the southern provinces, as a clear indicator of its position on the Sahara.

Commenting on Algeria’s swift reaction to the joint statement, Nour al-Din said the urgency of its response reflected the severity of the diplomatic setback, noting that Britain became the third Security Council member to endorse the Moroccan plan.

He pointed out what he called a glaring contradiction in the Algerian foreign ministry’s statement: the first paragraph laments British support for the Moroccan proposal, while the third claims London made no mention of Moroccan sovereignty over the region.

To Nour al-Din, this contradiction reveals “diplomatic disorientation” amid the shock of the announcement. He argued that Algeria is facing a diplomatic crisis in light of Morocco’s growing international support, from Kenya in the south to the UK in the north, from Syria in the east to the U.S. in the west.

He added that Algeria’s appeal to Britain to uphold international legality is a sign of defeat. Unlike its past reactions, such as withdrawing ambassadors from France and Spain, Algeria has refrained from taking such measures with the UK, indicating its inability to maintain a confrontational strategy.

Nour al-Din also pointed out Algeria’s inconsistency in invoking international legality, while itself violating it by recognizing a “fictitious republic” and simultaneously demanding self-determination for it. “How can a self-proclaimed state still demand a referendum on independence?”

He concluded by noting that Algeria, in addressing Britain, seems to forget that the UK itself faces decolonization claims—such as those involving Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands—yet still took a clear position on Morocco’s sovereignty.

Readings and Reactions

In its June 1, 2025 report, the Financial Times described the UK’s decision as a significant diplomatic shift that cements Morocco’s position as a reliable strategic partner on the international stage.

The paper stated that this marks the first official stance from London considering Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most credible, realistic, and practicable solution to the decades-long dispute.

According to the Financial Times, the British declaration effectively amounts to recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the southern territories, particularly as the autonomy plan grants the people of the Sahara wide self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty, allowing them to manage their internal affairs within the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.

The paper noted that this new British position places London among the major powers that have endorsed Morocco’s approach—alongside the United States, which recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in 2020, France, which views the future of the region within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, and Spain, which shifted its stance in favor of Rabat in 2022.

Britain’s position extends beyond political alignment and signals a promising strategic partnership with Morocco, especially ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco is set to co-host with Spain and Portugal.

The UK aims to secure preferential access for its companies to infrastructure projects related to the tournament, as well as other promising sectors such as renewable energy and healthcare, capitalizing on the Kingdom’s dynamic development, particularly in the southern provinces, the paper added.

Morocco has, in recent years, succeeded in expanding international support for its pragmatic and realistic autonomy proposal, which is increasingly being accepted as a final solution to the conflict—one that ensures regional stability while also respecting the principle of self-determination through a consensual approach.

The autonomy plan, according to the Financial Times, enjoys broad backing from African and Arab countries, in addition to influential Western powers, further isolating the separatist narrative led by the Polisario Front with Algerian support.

The paper concluded that the international community has become increasingly convinced that the Moroccan autonomy proposal represents the most viable framework for resolving the Sahara dispute, especially given the United Nations’ failure since the 1990s to organize the long-promised referendum and the persistent deadlock in mediation efforts due to complex legal and political disagreements.

Meanwhile, political activist Abdelkrim Zeghileche said that the UK is not merely backing the autonomy plan but is in fact recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.

“This was made clear when the British foreign secretary announced that the UK’s Export Finance agency intends to mobilize up to £5 billion to support new economic projects across Morocco, including in the Western Sahara,” he posted on Facebook.

“No country in the world would commit €5.9 billion in investments in a region without knowing who truly owns it. The rest is just diplomatic language.”

According to international relations expert Ahmed Nour al-Dine, the growing international momentum surrounding the Sahara issue must be matched by active Moroccan engagement within the UN Fourth Committee, which remains the main forum where the dispute is still under discussion.

“While support from friendly nations is important, it cannot substitute for direct institutional action within the UN framework,” he told Al-Estiklal.

“The continued presence of the issue in the Fourth Committee keeps it open to ongoing debate, whereas the Security Council, due to its balance of power and veto dynamics, tends to freeze rather than resolve conflicts.”

Nour-al-Dine called for pushing within the Fourth Committee to secure “a UN resolution recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces.”

Such a step, he argued, would bring an end to the UN’s ongoing handling of the file and usher in a new phase—moving from managing the dispute to reaching a final resolution.