Contributions
1,897 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRules-based International OrderMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, for securing this debate and for sharing her thoughts on how we have arrived at where we are and what we need to do…16 Jan 2025HANSARDRules-based International OrderWe were talking specifically about genocide. I would be grateful if the noble Lord could make that clear.16 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksThe noble Lord is completely right in everything he said about the hostages. My honourable friend Hamish Falconer the Minister for the Middle East, the Foreign Secretary and the…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksAs in many conflicts, there are some incredibly courageous individuals who risk their own lives to bring forward the cause of peace. It is only right that we are reminded of those…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksThe noble Lord is right. It is important that we acknowledge the role of all players who have been instrumental in facilitating negotiations and smoothing this along, including,…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksThese issues of reconciliation and truth and the process that needs to be undergone are fiendishly difficult, as the noble Baroness has experienced and which we can see when we…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksThat is right. The United Kingdom Government stand ready to play a leading role in reconstruction and securing a stable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Gaza’s…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksI agree with the noble Lord. The ceasefire would be only the beginning. He is also right to remind us that around 50% of the bodies identified in Gaza so far have been of children…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksI thank my noble friend and acknowledge the work that he did as Minister for the Middle East and North Africa. He is absolutely right that a permanent peace is what we need to…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksThe Israeli Government have a responsibility to allow aid to those who need it. The situation is urgent: the hunger and the deaths from the cold that we have seen among young…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksAs we have discussed previously, the problem with settlements and some of the activity we have seen around them is that it makes the two-state solution more difficult to deliver…15 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Peace TalksMy Lords, resolving the conflict has been a priority since day 1 of this Government. The fighting must stop and all sides must seize the opportunity to open a pathway to lasting…15 Jan 2025HANSARDSudan: US Determination of GenocideMy Lords, what is happening in Sudan is abhorrent, and we should all condemn it in the strongest possible terms. When it comes to genocide, the noble Lord opposite will be aware…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSudan: US Determination of GenocideMy Lords, I remember the events of 20 years ago very well. I remember Colin Powell saying that it was genocide and being astonished by the continuation of atrocities, given that…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSudan: US Determination of GenocideHope is an interesting concept when it comes to Sudan. All parties seem to have breached the commitments they made as part of the Jeddah process. We remain the penholder at the…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsI think it was Tony Blair who said that our international development spend is the strongest soft power asset that we have. He had a point. We work multilaterally because that is…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsThe Foreign Secretary’s priorities for this are around growth, security, government and climate. These are things that we are working hard on through our engagement not just with…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsI do not want to spend ODA here in the UK. That money is being spent on housing people who have come here in hotels, and it is costing a fortune to do so. That money ought to be…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsI would be very wise to take what the noble Lord says seriously, and I do note it. At the moment we are engaged in a five-month consultation with African nations and others to…14 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsMy Lords, I could not have put that better myself. It was a very helpful summary of where we are. On aid, we are committed to the 0.5%. We have an ambition to get back to where we…14 Jan 2025