London council urged to rename Iranian embassy road after Mahsa Amini

Glasgow's South African consulate road was changed to Nelson Mandela Place during the Apartheid era

The Iranian embassy in London. AFP

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has suggested that council officials consider renaming the Iranian embassy road in London after Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody started nationwide protests against the regime.

When presented with the proposal in the House of Commons, Mr Cleverly said the council’s planning committee “might take that on board".

Last year, the protests against the Iranian government erupted after Ms Amini, 22, went into a coma after her arrest by the modesty police in Tehran for wearing her hijab "improperly"

She died three days later.

Layla Moran, foreign affairs spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, asked Mr Cleverly to support a campaign to rename the street after Ms Amini so that she appears on every business card, email and letter the embassy receives.

The street address for the South African consulate in the city centre of Glasgow was renamed Nelson Mandela Place during the Apartheid era.

Iran's embassy in London is at Princes Gate, Kensington.

“Mahsa Amini was an inspiration to women not just in her own country, but across the world," Ms Moran told the Commons.

"And the fact that the people who did this to her – the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] – have not been held to account is itself a tragedy.

“Would the Foreign Secretary back the campaign therefore to rename the street of the Iranian embassy after her so that every business card, every email, every piece of post that they have to receive and send has her name on it?

“It worked for South Africa and Nelson Mandela. I think the time is right to do it for her now.”

Alternative Mahsa Amini protests - in pictures

Mr Cleverly praised the courage of Iranian women.

“The naming of thoroughfares is not a decision for central government but rather for local government, but she makes an incredibly important point and perhaps the planning committee of the local council might take that on board," he said.

Labour MP Andy Slaughter said he was puzzled that Mr Cleverly had told Ms Moran that foreign policy decisions could be “passed to local authorities”.

“I don’t know what the Levelling Up Secretary [Michael Gove] would say about that,” Mr Slaughter said.

Mr Cleverly responded: “I know [Mr Slaughter] had a long career in local government before he came to this House. Perhaps he would understand that street naming is not a foreign policy issue. It really is not."

Mr Gove is leading the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill through the House.

It asserts that foreign policy is the responsibility of the UK government and not local governments.

According to the Bill, the measures are designed to prevent public authorities from making procurement or investment decisions based on their own political or moral disapproval of foreign governments.

Mr Gove said on Monday that the bill prohibited public bodies from imposing their own boycotts, divestments and sanctions campaigns against other countries, directly or indirectly.

The proposals have been criticised by MPs on all sides of the House.