David Cameron is braced for a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia and Egypt today, when the Government publishes its long-awaited review into the Muslim Brotherhood. The report is set to find that it should not be classified as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Cameron ordered the “urgent investigation” into the Islamist movement almost a year ago but its release has been repeatedly delayed amid wrangling between ministers and officials over its findings.
The Prime Minister has been accused of setting up the review under pressure from the Saudi ruling family, which was strongly opposed to the organisation under the late king, although his successor King Salman appears to favour softening this stance.
The review into the Brotherhood’s British activities, led by the UK’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sir John Jenkins, is understood to have concluded that it should not be banned as a terrorist organisation. However, it is likely to urge the group to be more transparent about its links to affiliated organisations, including mosques and charities.
The timing of the announcement, just 48 hours before George Osborne delivers the Coalition’s final Budget, will fuel suspicion that the Government is trying to minimise adverse publicity. The report will also be heavily redacted.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have banned the Muslim Brotherhood, which they have labelled a terrorist organisation. The movement has support from Qatar and Turkey, where some of its leaders fled after a 2013 military coup in Egypt ousted a Brotherhood government.
The former Foreign Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, attributed the delay to “diplomatic problems” surrounding the conclusions. “We have a large number of friendly governments who are bitterly opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood and others who take the opposite view,” he said.
Sir John spent three months gathering evidence about the movement’s activities, passing his report to Downing Street last July.
Dr Lorenzo Vidino, an expert on the Brotherhood in the West and a contributor to the Jenkins review, said he was unsurprised it was being released in Budget week amid signs of government anxiety about the issue.
“That would make sense,” said Dr Vidino. “That is what has been going on for the past six or seven months. There is not exactly a desire on the part of the Government to make a big deal about it. The report has been a bit of a political hot potato.”
