Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 27 April 2026.
Rupa Huq
Labour, Ealing Central and Acton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq on regional security.
Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long been clear that the influence of armed militias operating outside effective state control remains one of Iraq's most pressing challenges, threatening both Iraq and the wider region's long-term stability. A stable and effective Iraqi state requires a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, exercised in accordance with the rule of law. Through our diplomatic engagement and programming, the UK supports efforts to strengthen accountable and capable state institutions, improve governance, reduce corruption and uphold due process, and we regularly engage with the Government of Iraq to urge further action to restrain militia activities.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
