Contributions
1,178 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasIt is a pleasure to interrupt a mammoth Cabinet meeting to enjoy the harmony and consensus for which the House is famous. [Laughter.] The United Kingdom has long championed…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasI thank my hon. Friend for mentioning the Open Doors report, which contains some stark statistics. It states, for example, that 80% of the people who suffer persecution for their…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasI want to ensure that we exercise maximum influence where we have that influence. The striking thing about that report is that, notwithstanding the comments that my hon. Friend…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasI pay tribute to the Department for International Development, which has allocated £12 million recently specifically to promote freedom of religious belief. The gist of my hon.…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasMy hon. Friend is right. I think it is fair to say that there has been some hesitation in the past in our embracing the issue of persecution of Christians—whether from a misguided…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. I would widen the point even further, and say that women from all religions, not just Christian religions, are double victims. Where there…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasI thank the hon. Lady for her interest in the Asia Bibi case, which I know is shared in all parts of this House. I reassure the hon. Lady that making sure that she is safe, and…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasThe atrocities suffered by the Copts are some of the very worst suffered by Christians anywhere, and there have been several examples of those in Egypt. However, the Egyptians are…02 Apr 2019HANSARDPersecution of Christians OverseasI thank the hon. Lady for asking that question. Of course China is an important country with which we have critical relations in the world, but having those relations means that…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderThe rules-based international system has made the world collectively massively safer and more prosperous than it has ever been before. This country played a major role in setting…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend’s comments; he could not be more right. It is incredibly important that when Russia does things such as invading neighbouring countries, as…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderWe have been investing a huge amount in our global leadership on climate change, and we are the G20 country that has the biggest drop in emissions per unit of GDP. We are also…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderI thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue. In all the debates we have about Brexit—I have now met my counterparts in every EU country—the one thing that comes across loud and…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderThis is something on which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Asia and the Pacific has done an enormous amount of work through his contacts with the Sri Lankan Government. The…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderI am happy to do that. My right hon. Friend is absolutely right—we should never recognise the annexation of territory by force. That has been one of the great achievements since…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderI thank the hon. Lady for raising that case. Obviously, our hearts go out to her constituent’s family over a truly terrible incident. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Asia…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderLet me tell my opposite number that that is exactly why we are doing everything that we possibly can to try to create peace in Yemen. It is why I am the first western Foreign…02 Apr 2019HANSARDRules-based International OrderThe right hon. Lady just is not reflecting what has happened. Thanks to action by this Government and other Governments, a judicial process started in Saudi Arabia on 3 January…02 Apr 2019HANSARDDiplomatic Relations: Saudi ArabiaI visited Saudi Arabia most recently on 2 March. We have a long history of close co-operation in support of regional stability, alongside frank conversations on areas of concern,…02 Apr 2019HANSARDDiplomatic Relations: Saudi ArabiaI can assure the hon. Lady that we have been clear from the outset that what happened to Khashoggi was fundamentally against our values, and that there has to be full…02 Apr 2019