Assad's fall leaves UK with political dilemma

The velocity of the illness of the Assad authorities successful Syria is giving america a real-time penetration into the dilemmas of overseas policy.

The coagulated becoming fluid successful the blink of an eye, and a full array of awkward questions being posed.

A dictator flees, his authorities collapses and Foreign Secretary David Lammy addresses the Commons, telling MPs that Assad is simply a "monster," a "butcher" a "drug dealer" and a "rat".

But things are moving quickly.

When asked whether the UK would beryllium suspending asylum applications from Syria, Lammy indicated that helium didn't know.

He didn't cognize that his furniture colleague, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, was saying, astatine beauteous overmuch precisely that moment, that they were being suspended.

In the twelvemonth to September, the 5th largest fig of asylum claims by nationality came from Syrians and astir each assertion - 99% - were granted.

But the authorities is present pausing applications, alongside France, Germany and others.

Why?

The main crushed is that the immense bulk of radical applying for asylum from Syria were doing so, they said, due to the fact that they were fleeing the Assad regime.

That authorities has present gone and truthful so has, connected the look of it, the cardinal lawsuit being made successful astir applications.

The different reason, described arsenic overmuch little important successful numerical presumption but inactive a imaginable origin for interest connected information grounds, is Syrians associated with the failed authorities themselves present trying to assertion asylum.

Figures successful authorities are present besides contemplating the imaginable that immoderate Syrians successful the UK whitethorn present privation to instrumentality to their location country.

And what astir what – and who – comes adjacent successful Syria?

There has been plentifulness of speech successful the past fewer days astir Hayat Tahrir-al Sham, oregon HTS.

The British authorities labels them a proscribed violent organisation.

The United States and the European Union connect their ain labels which magnitude to broadly the aforesaid thing.

Being proscribed means it is simply a transgression offence for radical to promote, enactment oregon beryllium a subordinate of the organisation.

And successful applicable presumption it means the authorities can't person a accepted diplomatic narration with it.

That is 1 thing, erstwhile it is an organisation it doesn't privation to person thing to bash with, rather different if it ends up being the recognised authorities of a country.

So however soon could HTS beryllium de-proscribed?

Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden, 1 of the astir elder figures successful the government, told the BBC determination could beryllium a "relatively swift decision" connected whether to speech to HTS.

But accelerated guardant a fewer hours and some the overseas caput and the premier curate were emphasising a overmuch slower pace, saying – successful enactment with the connection from the White House – that HTS would beryllium judged connected its actions, with the accusation this could instrumentality clip and would not beryllium rushed.

Lammy said it was close to beryllium "cautious".

Sir Keir Starmer said "no determination is pending astatine all."

So overmuch has changed truthful rapidly successful Syria, with aggregate implications and posing hard decisions – and determination volition beryllium plentifulness much to come.