London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

‘Sanction yourself then?’ Top UK diplomat derided after warning ‘global Britain’ will sanction human rights violators

‘Sanction yourself then?’ Top UK diplomat derided after warning ‘global Britain’ will sanction human rights violators

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been roundly ridiculed after announcing a new sanctions regime that will target human rights abusers and boasting that “Global Britain will be a force for good in the world.”

The new “autonomous” global sanctions regime, which was officially unveiled by Raab in the House of Commons on Monday, will initially target individuals or organizations with asset freezes and visa bans, and eventually expand to states and governments.

"Today I will introduce a sanctions regime that will target people who have committed the gravest human rights violations. Global Britain will be an even stronger force for good in the world, in the years ahead," Britain’s foreign minister issued a stark warning to human rights violators around the world on Twitter, seemingly without a hint of irony.


Pre-Brexit, the UK was obliged to follow the UN and EU sanctions regimes. Raab’s apparent notion of London suddenly breaking free from the shackles of Brussels and the UN to become some kind of new moral leader in the world has been met mostly with mockery.

Raab’s championing of “Global Britain” drew comments about how the country is now more of a “little Britain” and “getting smaller,” having decided to leave the EU.

There were also creative edits of Raab’s tweet, suggesting more accurately that Britain would be targeting only the violators “to whom we don't sell arms” and would be a force for greater hypocrisy instead.


Many of the responses pointed out that Britain itself has been accused of human rights violations. “Blimey, this could take out the entire Tory cabinet,” one Twitter user joked, while another wondered if it’s possible for the country to “sanctions itself.”

UN human rights experts have raised red flags about a number of UK policies and proposals in recent years. In January 2016, the draft of the Investigatory Powers bill was said to present a threat to “rights to freedom of expression and association.”

In 2015, the UK government’s decision to impose an under-occupancy charge, or “bedroom tax,” was condemned by UN Special Rapporteur for Housing Raquel Rolnik as breaching the human rights of people with disabilities, by making their housing unaffordable.

Most recently, UN rapporteur Nils Melzer described the British treatment of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, currently locked up in London’s Belmarsh Prison, as amounting to “torture.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×