Contributions
2,176 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I did say that I would give way to my hon. Friend.26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI thank my hon. Friend for that essential question, which remains unanswered. At the end of the day, the Government must be clear about which budget that money is coming from,…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend makes an important point, and that is why we on the Opposition side of the House will be scrutinising the Government even further on this. We will be holding…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. Sovereignty matters, and the Minister could not admit it to the House yesterday in the Chamber, but perhaps when a Minister sums up…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right, and the Government seem to have a complete disregard for this. He is absolutely right that Mauritius never had sovereignty in the first…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI did read that report. I have to say that that is exactly why we questioned the deal. It is the wrong approach, it really is. For all the lawyers sitting on the Labour Benches…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is spot on and makes a point that I have made. There are people—judges in particular—who clearly are undermining our integrity, sovereignty and the decision…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is shameful, because these are exactly the questions that we on the Opposition Benches were putting forward to the Government, and…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is absolutely correct, and I am afraid it shows the lack of commitment to even understanding the sovereignty of the territory.26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI will give way shortly. We also know from the Mauritius Prime Minister that the lease extension provisions have—guess what—been changed and diluted. He told his National…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. Friend is fast-forwarding to some of my wider remarks, but he is absolutely right. I thank him for his time in the Foreign Office. It was under Lord Cameron when all…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryIf I may caveat my remarks, unlike those unqualified, pretend lawyers—not even actual lawyers—Conservative Members believe that decisions over the future of key strategic military…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI cannot speak to the hon. Member’s confusion, but let us be clear that it is not the Conservative party that is putting forward a surrender deal. Let me be crystal clear: we are…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy right hon. and learned Friend absolutely speaks sense on this issue and that is exactly why I enjoyed working with him so much on some of the challenges we faced in government.…26 Feb 2025HANSARD British Indian Ocean TerritoryI beg to move, That this House regrets the reported multi-billion pound cost of the UK-Mauritius deal; notes the risk the deal presents to the UK’s strategic interests; further…26 Feb 2025HANSARDUK-Mauritius TreatyThe Foreign Secretary has proudly said that his Chagos surrender plan was a good deal. He told the Foreign Affairs Committee back in November that it was “a very good deal”, and…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPalestinians in Gaza: US PolicyMy thoughts continue to be with the hostages held in Gaza and the appalling suffering they and their families are facing. The world has seen the brutality inflicted by the…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsRussia, Iran and China all pose threats to Britain, and they go out of their way to do us harm. Can the Foreign Secretary explain why the Government have yet to implement the…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThis House stands united with the people of Ukraine. In the light of Putin’s brutality towards the people of Ukraine, what discussions will the Foreign Secretary be having with…25 Feb 2025HANSARDUkraineI begin by thanking the Foreign Secretary for his statement and for advance sight of it. The House stands united with Ukraine on this grim milestone. Three years on from Putin’s…24 Feb 2025