Contributions
387 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD BruneiThe travel advice obviously changed when it became evident that the penal code was likely to come into play. It simply explains that there is a penal code and that, under that…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiI think we will try to find slightly more diplomatic language than that. We understand that a sharia code is in play, and that some in Brunei hold that close to their hearts, but…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiAmid all the frenzy of what is going on at the moment in British political life, it is worth remembering that just over 100 years ago, the big issue was the right of women to…04 Apr 2019HANSARDFOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEELet us not beat about the bush: the rise of China is the big geopolitical issue of our age. It is fantastic that the Committee has put so much work into its report. I know that it…04 Apr 2019HANSARDFOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEEWell, there was an issue relating to China there—the fundamental issue of standing up for the rules-based international order. We will need to work closely on it with partners and…04 Apr 2019HANSARDMarshall Aid Commemoration CommissionI am announcing today the publication of the recent tailored review of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC), an arm’s length body of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiI thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words but also his tone. At a time when so many debates in this House have been very fractious—on matters that we dare not discuss now—it…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiWith permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement about Brunei and sharia law. I appreciate that this issue has been of widespread concern in the House and was the subject of…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiAs I have said, at the Heads of Government meeting in London last April the Prime Minister could not have made clearer where we stood on these issues. As I have also said, we have…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiI know that the hon. Lady will be leading a debate on this matter in Westminster Hall. Perhaps I will have a second bite of the cherry if, in discussing some of the technical…04 Apr 2019HANSARDOverseas Soft PowerI say to the hon. Gentleman that, with regard to the CPA and the IPU, we do. I appreciate that, for many Members who wish to get more engaged, travelling is obviously difficult…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI accept that the time for which the legal process drags on in many Indian consular cases is hugely frustrating. I am obviously very happy to meet the hon. Lady in relation to…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have made and will continue to make representations. Obviously there are grave concerns about the nature of the sharia penal code, if it were brought into play. As I mentioned…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs I have pointed out, the Sultan of Brunei has become more religious as he has grown older, and that is one of the reasons why he wanted to bring in the sharia penal code. I was…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsIf I may, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Theresa Villiers). We are doing a lot, as a penholder, and playing a…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman is right; Iran’s human rights record remains a matter of serious concern. On 17 December, the UK co-sponsored a UN resolution on human rights in Iran,…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI reiterate the earlier comments of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. We welcome Sri Lanka’s co-sponsorship of a new resolution of the UNHRC in March, which continues…02 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI raised with the Bruneian Government my concerns over the introduction of the hudud punishment most recently in a letter to the deputy Foreign Minister on Friday 29 March, and I…02 Apr 2019HANSARDLebanonI know that the hon. Gentleman takes these matters extremely seriously, and the House greatly respects him for that. Many of those refugees, and some Palestinian Christians, have…02 Apr 2019HANSARDLebanonI thank my hon. Friend for his question, as I know he takes these matters extremely seriously. We have invested more than £60 million in Lebanese security since 2012. By 2020, we…02 Apr 2019