Contributions
543 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTrade AgreementsMy Lords, the noble Baroness makes an important point. The UK is a world leader in human rights policy. We were the first country to produce a national action plan for the…14 Jul 2020HANSARDTrade AgreementsMy Lords, the report to which the noble Lord referred actually complimented my department for the way that it has interacted with the IAC. Before we commence negotiations, we make…14 Jul 2020HANSARDTrade AgreementsMy Lords, protecting human rights and maintaining environmental standards will always be at the front of our minds when negotiating trade agreements. We have a strong history of…14 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesThe noble Lord raises a matter I am personally very familiar with, having myself experienced as a businessman the Saudis’ propensity not to pay on time. I fear that the only quick…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesAs I have said previously, the assessments draw on a number of sources, some of which are necessarily confidential and sensitive. However, I have heard the question clearly and I…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesMy Lords, the short answer to that Question is no. The Government were required by the court judgment to retake their licensing decisions; they have now done so in a way that…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesI do not believe that they are, but in order to give the noble Lord a completely accurate answer to his question, I will write to him.10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesWe indeed have assessed that there were a small number of incidents that have been treated, for the purposes of the analysis, as violations of IHL. However, these were isolated…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesFirst of all, I utterly condemn the reprehensible killing of Mr Khashoggi. The UK and Saudi Arabia have a long-standing bilateral relationship based on a number of pillars,…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesFirst, I acknowledge the noble Lord’s obvious deeply felt concern about this matter. The UK and Saudi have a long-standing bilateral relationship based on a number of pillars,…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesBoth personally and as a Minister I remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen. I think it is important that we continue to work with all parties to find a…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesThe assessment of whether an incident created a possible breach or serious violation of international humanitarian law is a complex matter. In order to review that, we were…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesThe assessments we make are very much our own assessments, led by specialist people who are expert in these matters. We draw on information from a number of sources, including but…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesThe noble and gallant Lord makes a good point. As I have said previously, we have examined all the incidents and are satisfied that these were isolated incidents that did not…10 Jul 2020HANSARDSaudi Arabia: Arms SalesI think my noble friend will understand that this is of course a complex matter. It was very important that, this time, we got it right. Developing a revised methodology and…10 Jul 2020HANSARDChina: Supply ChainsAt the moment, trade between China and the UK amounts to around £80 billion a year. It is a very important trading partner for us, but I repeat that we are very clear-eyed about…01 Jul 2020HANSARDChina: Supply ChainsWe continue to implement a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to China, which identifies and pursues UK interests. I have to say that we take a very clear-eyed view of the…01 Jul 2020HANSARDChina: Supply ChainsIt is certainly a great priority for us to do that. It falls into the general area where it is very important to secure diversity of supplies for the United Kingdom. The pandemic…01 Jul 2020HANSARDChina: Supply ChainsAt the moment, we are consulting on various areas where it might be possible to launch a free trade zone, but I am not aware that Five Eyes membership will be a qualification for…01 Jul 2020HANSARDChina: Supply ChainsMy Lords, in general, as an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment where it supports UK growth and jobs. We do not accept investment that will compromise our…01 Jul 2020