Contributions
1,953 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFCDO StaffingI thank my hon. and gallant Friend for the question. Let me start off by saying that the Foreign Secretary has made it clear—and, indeed, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister…16 Dec 2021HANSARDFCDO StaffingMy hon. Friend makes the important case that we need to ensure our aid is spent effectively. That is why we value so much the experience of our professionals not only in King…16 Dec 2021HANSARDAfghanistan: Humanitarian SituationMy noble Friend the Minister for South Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, has made the following written ministerial statement: Afghanistan is…15 Dec 2021HANSARDPoint of Orderindicated assent.25 Nov 2021HANSARDFreedom of Religion or Belief: 40th Anniversary of UN DeclarationI am genuinely grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) for securing this debate on the anniversary of an incredibly important day. I also pay tribute to…25 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainMr Deputy Speaker, you can see the political chess moves, the political judo and the political jujitsu that my hon. and gallant Friend is performing. I know he would want me to…18 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainI will address the situation with regard to funding and our footprint shortly. Together with the University of Edinburgh, the council is developing an online course, open to all,…18 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainMy hon. Friend raises the prospect of additional closures, and I understand his concern about that. The simple truth is that we continue to operate, notwithstanding the spending…18 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainI am genuinely grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) for securing this debate. It gives me great pleasure to see that Essex Members of…18 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainI completely understand my hon. Friend’s point. The repatriation work through Afghanistan has proved to be one of the most difficult and technically complicated, and in many…18 Nov 2021HANSARD British Council: Global BritainThat makes you the odd one out, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I am sure that we will forgive you. The Government are determined that Britain will remain an outward-looking nation that is…18 Nov 2021HANSARDNazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeIt is not possible to give the hon. Gentleman details on that. As I said, we recognise the legal duty to repay the debt, and we will explore all legal options for doing so. I once…16 Nov 2021HANSARDNazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Charles. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) for securing the debate and for her…16 Nov 2021HANSARDNazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeI will not. A number of hon. Members have raised the issue of the IMS debt. As I have said to the House on a number of occasions, the UK Government recognise that we have a duty…16 Nov 2021HANSARDNazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeWe of course consider this issue carefully. However, I have made the point already that—I suspect in large part because Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does…16 Nov 2021HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaMy hon. Friend is sadly right that we see the hand of Russia at play here. We need to work with the High Representative and our international partners to ensure that there is not…09 Nov 2021HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaI thank my hon. and gallant Friend for his points. I recognise the contribution he has made and his understanding of the issues in the region. He is right that those of us who…09 Nov 2021HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We recognise that EUFOR is there to play a particular role. We would, of course, all collectively much prefer to prevent, rather than…09 Nov 2021HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaMy hon. and gallant Friend makes an important point about the need for visible support for the institutions that have helped to keep the peace for such a long time. My hon. Friend…09 Nov 2021HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaI think the hon. Lady is frankly wrong in her assessment. This is not a question about Afghanistan, but she will know that we started the evacuation process in Afghanistan in…09 Nov 2021