Summary:

On 1 June 2025, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Lammy conducted an official visit to Morocco where he signed cooperation deals with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita.

Lammy secured the participation of British companies in $45 billion worth of public procurement for the next three years in Moroccan water, health, and trade projects, including the Casablanca Airport project.

The two diplomats also agreed on closer cooperation on migration and counterterrorism in addition to renewable energy and water scarcity.

The UK Minister also announced support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for the Western Sahara, describing it as “the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a mutually agreed and lasting solution to the Western Sahara dispute.”

Outlook: 

Cooperation with Britain will support Morocco’s infrastructure improvement goals and help move the country toward readiness for hosting the 2030 World Cup.

Britain’s economic engagement in Morocco will also reinforce regional projects as well, including the Royal Atlantic Initiative and the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline project that will offer important supply chain infrastructure to European states and Britain.

Additionally, the UK’s endorsement of the Moroccan plan for Western Sahara marks a shift that is likely to reinforce and further legitimize Morocco’s position while paving the way for other states to support this plan.

Morocco now has the support of three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the US, France and UK, however, it is likely to continue being challenged in the UN by Algeria and the Polisario Front which are emphasizing human rights abuses in the Western Sahara. These tensions with Algeria and its regional implications are unlikely to subside in the near and medium term.

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