Contributions
1,406 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHong KongThe hon. Lady will forgive me if I do not comment directly on security matters. On human rights, I hope I made it clear in my opening remarks that human rights and trade and…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongMy hon. Friend is right to say that in 2047 the formal period covered by the Sino-British joint agreement will come to an end. The Government hope that the good practice in that…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongThe right hon. Gentleman will, I hope, have admired the Foreign Secretary’s personal efforts in respect of media freedom, which came to a head with the conference to which the…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongI certainly agree with my hon. Friend that working together to ensure prosperity in Hong Kong is vital. On the rule of law, we have to work with a number of systems across the…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongI think that is very harsh. It is clearly our endeavour to work with the Chinese Government, and it would be bonkers not to do so, wouldn’t it? The hon. Gentleman is tempting me…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongThere have been a number of developments in Hong Kong over the weekend. On Friday evening, the police seized a quantity of explosives from a warehouse in the New Territories along…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongMy hon. Friend is an acknowledged expert in this House on Hong Kong, and the sense of his remarks is pretty spot on. On the extradition Bill being a catalyst for other things, it…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongI share the hon. Lady’s assessment of the deteriorating political situation in Hong Kong. I also share her revulsion at the scenes we saw on our television screens over the…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHong KongIndeed, and I hope that I made my views on the matter plain in my opening remarks. I agree with my hon. Friend that China and the United Kingdom are co-signatories and equally…22 Jul 2019HANSARDBritish Council Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19Copies of the British Council’s annual report and accounts for the 2018-19 financial year have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The British Council is the UK’s…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaThe hon. Lady cited something from the United States that happened fairly recently, but I do not accept her position. I understand her concerns. She did not cite the recent Court…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaIt is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton) and a number of extremely fine speeches. Although it is a Thursday afternoon, it is a pity…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaI was about to say lots of nice things about the hon. and learned Lady in respect of raising this issue, but I might have to change my mind. I was going to say that, although some…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaIt is always very nice to take note of what our closest ally is doing, but these days I am probably more inclined to look at what our colleagues in the European Union are doing.…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaBut the hon. Gentleman does give me the opportunity to say once again that the United Kingdom condemns capital punishment in all countries and in all circumstances. I do not think…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman because he brings me on to my next remarks. I will try hard not to be diverted by some of the broader issues in addressing what I think…18 Jul 2019HANSARDHuman Rights in Saudi ArabiaI think the hon. Gentleman wants proof. Well, I cannot do a controlled trial, although I used to be a scientist. We cannot do controlled trials to determine what would have…18 Jul 2019HANSARD Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeMy hon. Friend will understand that the tools in our toolbox are somewhat limited. Iran is an independent and proud nation that has its own view of its place in the world, and it…17 Jul 2019HANSARD Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeI am not sure I would associate myself with the sense of security to which the hon. Gentleman refers, but I assure him that the matter is right at the top of the priorities of the…17 Jul 2019HANSARD Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeI know that my right hon. Friends the Members for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) and for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) are greatly exercised by this case. I assure the…17 Jul 2019