Contributions
834 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursMy hon. Friend puts it absolutely correctly. As I said earlier, our approach to China should be clear- eyed and rooted in our values and our interests. China is a leading member…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursI thank the hon. Lady for her question. Of course, any asylum issue is a matter for the Home Office. I understand that advice has been put out to take into consideration across…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursThe hon. Lady is absolutely right to be angry about those violations in the region. We referenced trade earlier, and of course we want to secure growth and investment for the UK,…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursBritish diplomats visit the region periodically. Although access is not particularly easy, we do require to observe the situation first hand. British diplomats visited most…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursIt is absolutely the case that the Government remain committed to defending freedom of religion and belief for all people—for people of all faiths or none. The Prime Minister has…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursI remind the right hon. Gentleman that I said earlier in my statement that we are constantly raising this issue with the UN. He is right to mention organ harvesting, and I know…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursClearly, as I have said previously, the reports we have seen in the last 24 hours or so add considerably to our serious concern about the situation in Xinjiang. We have had a…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursAgain, the hon. Gentleman is right to raise that. I refer him to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns) on Magnitsky-style sanctions.…29 Jun 2020HANSARDXinjiang: UyghursI thank my hon. Friend for his question. This issue obviously touches on Huawei, and it is probably right for me to refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial…29 Jun 2020HANSARDBritish CouncilThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office has sought an advance of £60 million from the Contingencies Fund in order to provide a loan of up to £60 million to the British Council, which…11 Jun 2020HANSARDSino-British Joint DeclarationThe Foreign Secretary commented in Parliament on 26 September that the status of British nationals overseas was “part of the delicate balance” —[ Official Report , 26 September…11 May 2020HANSARDSino-British Joint DeclarationThere have been a number of concerning recent developments in Hong Kong. As co-signatory of the joint declaration, the UK expects the mainland Chinese authorities to respect Hong…11 May 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy hon. Friend makes a very sensible point. Every day, we learn the lessons from such a huge operation. This is something that we have never faced before. The nearest that we have…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy hon. Friend has been incredibly resilient in pursuing FCO Ministers on the individual cases of his constituents, and he is absolutely right to do that. We are launching a new…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsLet me answer the hon. Gentleman by referring to a previous answer. We are prioritising British nationals. These flights are paid for by the British taxpayer, so our initial…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsI am at high risk of repeating myself on this point. I understand why the Opposition might want to probe this matter politically, but the fact is that the permanent secretary…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy right hon. Friend raises Pakistan, another area where there are thousands of Brits wanting to return home. We have already brought back more than 2,000 people, and we have…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsThe right hon. Gentleman raises a very good point. As he can imagine, there were tens of thousands of British nationals in India. We have got more than 10,000 back on 38 flights…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsI thank my right hon. Friend for his question. In respect of Exercise Cygnus, I am not aware of how involved the FCO was back in 2016, but as his constituents and the country…29 Apr 2020HANSARD Covid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsOn the hon. Lady’s final point, I have not been involved, as yet; I have been at the Foreign Office and here at the Commons. The FCO is constantly talking to the travel sector.…29 Apr 2020