Contributions
116 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsMy Lords, the UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. We remain committed to the promotion of human rights. This Government are in negotiations for a free…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsFree trade agreements such as this are hugely beneficial to both economies, and I do not think that is at the cost of things such as human rights. It is really important that we…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsTrade is the consequence of a relationship: working with someone across the table with whom you have a shared ambition to work together. That drives both economic benefit and…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsI do not believe that is what I said. What we are seeing is a combination of understanding that human rights are complex and broad. It is a much broader range of things: modern…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsI thank the noble Lord for his agreement. The key point is that there is never an end state; the work here is never done. We are continuously building on our standards, sharing…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsFirst, there is no signed agreement with the GCC yet; it is under continuous negotiation. However, one of the opportunities we have is to reaffirm what standards a country should…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsWhat I am hearing from the noble Lord is that our work here is not yet done. It is a long way from being done, and it is a constantly evolving situation where all of us are…03 Jun 2025HANSARDGulf States: Trade and Human RightsI confirm that we hold our standards around human rights, and value our press, incredibly dearly and we would not do anything in a free trade agreement that takes away or dilutes…03 Jun 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI will follow that up with the noble Lord.13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsMy Lords, I thank the noble Lords for their questions and responses to the Minister of Trade’s policy Statement. It is lovely to see the full support for trade that we all share.…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI thank the noble Lord for his question. I think he knows that yesterday I commented that I would follow up in writing with the specifics on that, and I will endeavour also to…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsThat is wonderful to hear—a worthy celebration indeed. Of course, I am delighted that, as a result of this deal, Scotland will benefit from significant tariff liberalisation for a…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsOn the investor treaty and how we are making sure that we get investor protections for people looking to invest across borders, the bilateral investment treaty is not included as…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI hear the noble Baroness’s frustration. We want businesses in Northern Ireland to be able to benefit from this to the fullest extent that they can, and that is absolutely what we…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsOn the environmental aspect, this is India’s first ever chapter on the environment within a free trade agreement and it goes further into this area than it has ever gone before.…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI thank my noble friend for that question. This free trade agreement presents a selection of opportunities for trade between India and Northern Ireland, but it is not the only…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI will be happy to write to the noble Baroness.13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsTo provide some reassurance, there is no change in the visa process. The points-based immigration system is not affected, so there is no change in the various routes for visa…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsIn terms of the process and the timing of the impact statement, negotiations have concluded so we are in the final stages to get the treaty signed; it will happen as quickly as…13 May 2025HANSARDTrade NegotiationsI shall repeat some of the statements that I made earlier. We are not giving away more visas or creating new routes as part of the deal. Existing mobility routes have been…13 May 2025