On 5th February 2026, the Archbishop of York asked a question on support for Iranian families in the UK to contact their loved ones following a government statement on the recent protests and subsequent humanitarian situation in Iran:
The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, I have a very simple humanitarian question relating to what the Minister has just said. We do not know how many people have died, how many are injured or how many are missing, but we do know that the internet in Iran has been brought down. Simply, the restoration of the internet would allow family members to be in touch, to seek those who are missing and to know more of what is happening. What representations are the Government making on that issue, which would bring some solace to so many deeply hurting families in this appalling situation?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab, FCDO): On the opening point about our lack of ability to understand just how many people have been killed so far, estimates range from 3,000 to many times that, and I think that, as information emerges, we will be horrified at what is revealed. He is also right to remind us of how vital communications infrastructure is, most principally, of course, through access to the internet. We want as much as anybody to see that restored. There is a reason that these things are removed by regimes at moments such as this, and it is not difficult to work out what that is—it is about hiding what is happening and preventing people from organising, communicating and supporting one another.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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