Government issues update on Shamima Begum return to the UK

A cabinet member has firmly stated there are "no plans" to permit Shamima Begum's return to the UK, despite the current turmoil in Syria. Ms Begum, who fled the UK at 15 to marry an ISIS fighter, is now in a Syrian refugee camp.

With the region's future uncertain after HTS ousted Bashar al-Assad, the fate of those in such camps remains unclear. Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden remarked: "It is it is difficult to say at the moment what will happen to those camps, all of this is very uncertain at the moment."

He added, "No one can say for sure what's going to happen to those camps right now, or indeed whether this new group will be able to take over the whole country. That's not certain either."

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When questioned about the possibility of Ms Begum, now 24, returning to the UK, Mr McFadden responded: "No plans to do that right now."

Stripped of her British citizenship in 2019, she continues to reside in a Northern Syrian camp, reports the Mirror.

As a new government may emerge, there's speculation about the potential exile of individuals from these camps. Ms Begum, originally from London, has repeatedly expressed her desire to come back to the UK, where she would likely face legal proceedings.

However, in August, the Supreme Court decided that she would not be permitted to contest the revocation of her citizenship. At the time, her attorneys stated: "It is a matter of the gravest concern that British women and children have been arbitrarily imprisoned in a Syrian camp for five years, all detained indefinitely without any prospect of a trial."

"All other countries in the UK's position have intervened and achieved the return of their citizens and their children."

Appearing on Sky News, Mr McFadden also faced questions over whether the UK would allow Assad's wife Asma, who is a British citizen, to return to the UK.

Assad has been granted asylum in Russia after he left Damascus. Quizzed by host Kay Burley on how he felt about that, Mr McFadden said: "That's a decision between them and the Russian, authorities. Russia propped up the regime. If you'd ask me which country will he flee to, Russia or Iran were probably the two that will be highest on the list."

Asked if the family could be allowed to come to the UK: "Well no such request's been received."

Pressed whether it would make him uneasy, the cabinet member said: "I think given the background of the regime, it it does, but, I can't speak to anyone's individual rights if somebody is a British passport holder as I believe his wife is."

"But right now they are, in Russia. They've sought refuge in the country that propped up the regime and least not see if any indication of anything different."