Relationship dossier
United Kingdom
Western Sahara
Relationship assessment
UK policy supports a UN-led settlement while extending trade preferences to Western Sahara through its agreement with Morocco.
United Kingdom toward Western Sahara
0The United Kingdom supports a UN-led process on Western Sahara’s status. Its trade agreement with Morocco extends preferential treatment to goods from the territory, a policy that has raised objections concerning Sahrawi consent.
Western Sahara toward United Kingdom
Not assessedOverall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The United Kingdom supports a UN-led process to resolve Western Sahara’s status, while its post-Brexit trade agreement with Morocco extends preferential treatment to goods from the territory. These policies combine support for a negotiated settlement with trade arrangements that have drawn objections over Sahrawi consent. Information about direct government cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is limited.
Areas of tension
- Application of UK-Morocco trade preferences to Western Sahara and questions of Sahrawi consent.
Key developments
The UK-Morocco Association Agreement entered into force and extended preferential trade treatment to goods from Western Sahara.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of direct UK government engagement with Sahrawi representatives is unclear.
- The implementation and current application of trade preferences for goods from Western Sahara are unclear.