Contributions
387 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD LibyaMay I first correct something that I said earlier? The UN Secretary General did not flee Libya, and I am sorry if I gave that impression and there was a misapprehension.…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaI thank my hon. Friend for that important question. Our embassy in Tripoli has remained closed since 2014, but we do have a permanent diplomatic presence, and a lot of work…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaThe hon. Gentleman is right. One of the depressing things is that Libya has been at the edge of a precipice for more years than any of us cares to remember. As the penholder for…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaI thank my hon. Friend for his rather bleak analysis of the situation. Clearly, there are fundamental differences between what is happening in Syria and in Libya. Each of those is…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: the most bleak aspect of the humanitarian side is modern-day slavery and people trafficking. I do not have the information that he…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaI thank my hon. Friend for his observations. Let me make it clear that the international community stands behind the Government of national accord, the elected Government of Prime…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaThe hon. Lady represents a city centre seat, as I do, and I am well aware of the issues faced by people who want to make their lives in the United Kingdom and who would make a…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaWhile everyone needs to take responsibility for issues that have happened in the past in Libya, it would be a little unfair to suggest that things were perfect before our…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaI am sure that the hon. Gentleman will forgive me for saying that that is clearly a matter for the Home Office, rather than the Foreign Office. However, if the humanitarian…08 Apr 2019HANSARD LibyaWe are very much alive to the situation. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the instability in the neighbouring countries of Algeria and Tunisia provides some concern for…08 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 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 BruneiI thank my hon. Friend, who knows that area of the world well, for his wise words, to which there is little that I can add. For those who have not visited, Brunei is a beautiful…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiI thank the hon. Gentleman for his words. Obviously, we will take this matter up with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Let me say a little about the broader Commonwealth…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiThe sharia criminal law came into being in 2014, and at that point—and certainly when I was in the country last summer—we were well aware that we were heading down a path towards…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 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 am not sure that the hon. Lady was in the Chamber at the very second when I was praising her. I knew that she had tried twice to secure an urgent question, and I thought that…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiMy hon. Friend makes a good and wise point. There are obviously other countries in that region with majority Muslim populations, but there is possibly also a sense that there is…04 Apr 2019HANSARD BruneiThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I very much respect the hon. Gentleman’s heartfelt concerns. I hope I did not misunderstand what was said earlier; it was on a Home Office matter,…04 Apr 2019