Contributions
387 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Soft PowerAnd a former DFID Minister, too. I agree with the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Stephen Twigg), and this is a matter not just of soft power, but of hard power. There is…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerI am hearing a lot of chuntering from my left, as I have two DFID Ministers beside me—26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerI thank my right hon. Friend. We have already had questions today on Shakespeare and the BBC, but he is absolutely right that our royal family is one of our greatest soft power…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerI do indeed agree with my hon. Friend. For example, in 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death was marked by an HMG-funded cultural programme called Shakespeare Lives,…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerI am delighted to join my hon. Friend in recognising the excellent work of the BBC World Service, which brings the UK and its values to the world at large. Since 2016, Her…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerWe have announced only today, in the aftermath of the Sharm el-Sheikh negotiations, that we will be putting a further £200 million into Yemen. It is important to recognise the…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerWe have made agreements—not least the negotiations that have taken place in recent months in Stockholm—to try to work together to ensure that the worst offenders do not have arms…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerI am happy to answer that in short order: yes. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe and the Americas has worked tirelessly in that regard and we will continue to do so. I…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will be going to Saudi Arabia this week, and I hope that there will be progress in relation to the very serious issues the right hon.…26 Feb 2019HANSARDUK Soft PowerAs I said, my right hon. Friend will be in Saudi Arabia and clearly, this issue will be discussed. I hope that he will be in a position to update the House on 2 April or, indeed,…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsThe hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West) will be pleased to know that the UK is wholeheartedly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsThe hon. Lady is right to point out that the situation is absolutely heartbreaking. I am the father of an 11-year-old son, and boys of roughly that age are fighting in parts of…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsThe hon. Lady is right that that is a major issue. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East raised the matter when he was in the region last week and will continue to…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsMy hon. Friend is right that the issue is still contested. We will continue to make the case for LGBT rights, and all Foreign Office Ministers and other Ministers with broader…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsI thank my hon. Friend for his question. These are important issues, and clearly we will be represented at the most senior level possible. It may be difficult for a Minister to be…26 Feb 2019HANSARDHuman RightsClearly this is something that causes great concern. The shadow Minister will be aware that it is not an issue for which I have direct responsibility, but I know my right hon.…26 Feb 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe UK is disappointed that Japan has announced that it will withdraw from the International Whaling Commission in order to resume commercial whaling, and we urge it to rethink…26 Feb 2019HANSARDIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces TreatyAs the hon. Gentleman will recognise, I am not going to speculate on too many hypotheticals for the future. This issue will obviously be discussed at very senior levels, and I…04 Feb 2019HANSARDIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces TreatyI fear that I will disappoint my hon. Friend by not going into great detail on these matters, as they are issues of secure intelligence. I confess that when I was at the Dispatch…04 Feb 2019HANSARDIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces TreatyIt does not “seem” that Russia has breached its commitments; there is absolutely no doubt, and there is absolute evidence, of that—evidence that is understood and supported by…04 Feb 2019