He has since adopted a conciliatory tone towards Syria’s religious minorities, including Christians, and looks set to play a key part in the post-Assad leadership of the country.
Asked about ending the proscription by Sky News on Monday, Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden said: “We’ll consider that. And I think it will partly depend on what happens in terms of how that group behaves now.”
McFadden stressed that the U.K. had “not made any decisions on that over the weekend,” but said of a review of the status of HTS: “I think it should be a relatively swift decision, so it’s something that will have to be considered quite quickly, given the speed of the situation on the ground.”
The U.K. minister suggested al-Jolani’s rhetoric since rebels’ victory over Assad this weekend had given some cause for optimism. “He is saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about respecting people’s rights so we will look at that in the days to come.”
He added: “We hope that’s true, but right now it’s such a fast-moving situation that I think anybody who told you they were sure of what would happen next, well I wouldn’t be too confident about that.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is in the Middle East on a visit designed to drum up trade and investment, expressed support for Assad’s fall Sunday evening, hailing the end of a “barbaric regime.”