Category: Foreign Affairs

The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 9 February 2026.

British National Jimmy Lai was today sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for exercising his right to freedom of expression, following a politically motivated prosecution. Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics.

For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family.

The Prime Minister raised Mr Lai’s case directly with President Xi during his visit. That has opened up discussion of our most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels. Following today’s sentencing we will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai’s case.

We stand with the people of Hong Kong, and will always honour the historical commitments made under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. China must do the same.

The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 5 February 2026.

I wish to update the House on the situation in

Sudan.

On Tuesday night, I returned from the border between Sudan and Chad, where I witnessed from the camp of 140,000 people in Adré—85% of them women and children who have fled the most horrendous violence and violations—the devastating human toll of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. In January, Sudan passed 1,000 days of conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces. This is a regionalised conflict of power, proxies and profit, defined by unimaginable atrocities, by millions pushed into famine, by the horrific use of rape as a weapon of war, and by suffering that should strike at the core of our shared humanity.

That should mobilise the world’s resources and resolve, yet too often the response is to hold back and look away—catastrophically failing the people of Sudan, and Sudan’s women and girls. I am determined that we do not look away, and that we put the spotlight firmly on Sudan. That is why this week I travelled to the region to see at first hand the extent of the crisis, to listen to the testimony of traumatised women and children whose lives will never be the same again, to see how UK support is making a difference, and to see what urgently needs to be done by the international community to help arrest the spiral of bloodshed and drive urgent momentum towards peace.

In Adré, I met families who had been torn apart, mothers who had survived appalling violence only to find their daughters missing, and frightened children who had travelled vast distances in search of some semblance of safety. I met teachers, nurses, students, market traders, small businesswomen and political activists—impressive women whose lives and livelihoods back home had been stolen from them.

I met a mother separated from her children who told me she still does not know where they are and whether they are alive; a young woman who told me that most of the women she knew had been through “bad violence” on their journey, but they would not talk about it “because of the shame”; and a Sudanese community worker who told me she thought more than half the women in the camp had directly experienced sexual assault or abuse. I have heard from others in recent weeks, including a Sudanese emergency response room worker who described three sisters arriving at the response room who had all been raped. The oldest was 13, and the youngest was eight. This is a war waged on the bodies of women and girls.

But here is what I also saw: an incredible group of Sudanese women who have set up a makeshift support centre for women who have suffered sexual violence and for children with trauma. They have activities for children and support for mums. More survivors need that kind of help, so this week I announced that the UK will fund a new £20 million programme to support survivors of rape and sexual violence in Sudan, enabling them to access medical and psychological care, given the terrible stigma endured by survivors and children born of rape. That is part of our international action to tackle a global emergency of violence against women and girls.

What I did not see in Adré is just as disturbing: the fathers, husbands and brothers missing, either killed, drawn into the fighting or migrating further and leaving family behind. Reports from El Fasher after the RSF attacks were of atrocities so appalling that they could be seen from space—blood-soaked sand, multiple piles of bodies and mass graves—but aid agencies are still facing barriers to getting in. There are reports that the Sudanese Armed Forces are refusing to let desperately needed humanitarian aid through, even though right now some 30 million people need lifesaving assistance due to this war, and up to 7 million face famine. That is nearly equivalent to the entire population of London—every person across the entire city we stand in today.

In December, the UK provided an additional £21 million for food, shelter and health services, and we have committed £146 million to support over 800,000 people this year alone. Since the conflict began, we have reached over 2.5 million people, delivering water and medicine to hard-to-reach areas. We will continue to make Sudan a top priority for UK humanitarian support, and we will support reforms such as the steps advocated by UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and the International Rescue Committee to strengthen prioritisation and closer work through local partners on the ground. But for aid to save more lives, the deliberate barriers to humanitarian access must be lifted.

Aid alone will not solve this crisis; we need an immediate and urgent ceasefire, we need those responsible for these atrocities to be held to account, and we need a pathway to peace. There is no military solution to the conflict—that only results in devastation for Sudan—yet the military men driving this conflict still refuse to agree a truce, and there is disturbing evidence that they are seeking and getting hold of ever more dangerous weapons.

This crisis is compounded by regional rivalries and vested interests, with the real risk of further escalation within Sudan and beyond as fighting spreads to the Kordofan regions. I am very fearful that the RSF advances on the city of El Obeid risk turning it into another El Fasher. Co-ordinated and determined international pressure are needed to halt this bloodshed and pursue an immediate truce, with a halt to the arms flows, tangible pressure from all those who have backed the RSF and SAF or who have influence upon them to deliver a ceasefire, and pressure from the entire international community too.

The US has been working intensively to secure a truce, drawing together other Quad countries—the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt—and discussing humanitarian support, military withdrawal, civilian transition and action to stop arms flows. I am in close contact with all members of the Quad, including Secretary Rubio and the President’s senior adviser on Africa, as we urgently push for a way forward. The UK is particularly involved in a process to support Sudanese civilians to build their capacity.

African partners in the region also have a critical role. In Addis Ababa earlier this week, I met Foreign Ministers from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Chad, and the African Union’s chairperson and peace and security commissioner, to discuss what more can be done by border countries, and their assessment of the action needed to achieve a ceasefire. We need to build the same focus and momentum behind a peace process for Sudan as we had last year around Gaza, with countries from across the world coming together to back a ceasefire. That is why I am so determined that the UK will keep the international spotlight on Sudan. This month the UK holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, and we will use it to press for safe, unimpeded humanitarian access, accountability for atrocities, and international co-operation for a ceasefire. We will use it to ensure that the voices of Sudan’s women are heard in the Security Council Chamber.

As we look to the third anniversary of this devastating conflict in April, the UK and Germany will jointly convene a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin. In November, UK leadership at the UN Human Rights Council secured international agreement for an urgent UN inquiry into crimes in El Fasher, following its capture by the RSF. Later this month we will receive the report of that UN fact-finding mission, because as well as pursuing peace, we must also hold the perpetrators to account.

Today I can announce new action that the UK is taking to apply pressure deliberately on the belligerents, with fresh sanctions targeting senior figures in the SAF and RSF who have committed atrocities across Sudan. We are also targeting a network of individuals operating behind the scenes to procure weapons and recruit mercenary fighters. These designations send a clear message that the UK will hold accountable those suspected of perpetrating and profiteering from the most egregious violations of international humanitarian law.

To look away from crises such as Sudan is not just against our values but against our interests. Wars that rage unresolved do not just cause harm to civilians, because their destabilising effects ripple across borders and continents through migration and extremism. Let 2026 be the year that the world listens to the women of Sudan, not the military men who are perpetuating this conflict. Let 2026 be the year that the world comes together to drive urgent new momentum for peace. I commend this statement to the House.

STORY

Five years on from the military’s coup, the people of Myanmar face a deepening crisis.

By overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, the will of the people was overturned and their political freedom taken away.

Amidst this crisis, the UK remains committed to supporting a stable future for the people of Myanmar.

In the past year we have supported over 1.4 million people with humanitarian assistance and provided 1.3 million people with essential health services. We will continue to stand by those most affected.

Yet conditions on the ground remain dire.

Half of Myanmar’s children are now out of school, while women and girls face persistent violence.

Crimes that affect us in the UK, like drug production and cyber scams, have flourished.

The recent military-run elections were neither free nor fair.

For the aspirations of the Myanmar people to be met, there is much that still needs to be done.

We continue to urge all parties to protect civilians.

We call on the military regime to end its airstrikes; to allow unhindered humanitarian access; to release all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and to engage in genuine dialogue towards a democratic and peaceful transition.

Today and always, we stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Myanmar.

The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 26 January 2026.

I am pleased to gather with you here on such a significant and important day.

As we remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis. And as we remember all victims of Nazi persecution – from Roma communities to gay and disabled people.

Alongside all victims of genocide across history. An occasion for us to commemorate and to learn. And also, to combine remembrance with resolve.

To spur us to work even harder to tackle the scourge of antisemitism. And to relentlessly confront prejudice, persecution and hate.

The violent and corrosive effects of which are all too present in our own society today. And so tragically evident across the world. 

Thank you to Daniela for co-hosting today’s event – a joint initiative with the FCDO that goes back over a decade.

And thank you to the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, and to the Association of Jewish Refugees. For their essential, longstanding work and their contributions to this event, and for creating such powerful exhibitions that I encourage you all to view today.

The theme of this year’s Memorial Day is ‘bridging generations’. Reminding us that responsibility for remembrance does not end with the survivors.

Instead, it must reverberate through those that follow. Through all of us. A bridge across years. But also a bridge to join memory and action. A bridge across generations. So that our engagement with horrors past animates our engagement with horrors present.

Something that I discussed earlier with Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich who I am honoured is with us today. Huge thank you for being with us today. She has now spoken at countless national events and, perhaps most importantly, to tens of thousands of students across the country.

Mala, who for many years found it too painful to talk about her experiences and who has shown such strength and bravery speaking out, and will kindly speak shortly to share her story.

For decades, Holocaust survivors have carried the truth across time. Sharing achingly distressing experiences with extraordinary courage, so future generations would know what happened – and would never forget.

Each personal testimony an act of generosity to humanity. Bestowing the gift of truth, of wisdom so that we may honour their suffering. By reckoning with the meaning of their experiences. And by taking action in our own lives to make real the all too easy phrase of ‘never again’.  To make that real.

Each year, fewer survivors remain. Each time a survivor’s voice falls silent, we are reminded that soon there will be no first‑hand witnesses. Their absence does not bring an end to remembrance. It simply places it firmly in our hands. So that we carry and reinforce it through education, dialogue and action.

I’d want to say how pleased we are  to have the presence today of Meg Davis – Young Ambassador of the Holocaust Educational Trust – who has contributed so much to this cause.

And because education remains our strongest defence. Lest the passage of time dulls the urgency of the lessons. Or is exploited for the distortion of truth, the manipulation of facts, or – even more shockingly – the antisemitic denial of Holocaust altogether.

Because truth does not endure on its own. It endures because people chose to humanise it, to share it and to defend it. 

That is why I’m so pleased that Parliament has now, finally, passed the Holocaust Memorial Act, which received its Royal Assent late last week and passed through Parliament.

A vital step towards establishing the national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre that this government has so long championed. And that we want to see built just a few hundred metres from where we stand today, at Victoria Tower Gardens. A location so close to Parliament is fitting because we must never forget that the road to the Holocaust began in a democracy.

I am also pleased to announce that Jon Pearce will be appointed as UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues. To give advice and push forward UK policy – including promoting Holocaust education, remembrance and research here and around the world.

Jon who brings his deep personal commitment, having spoken movingly in the House exactly a year ago of his trip to Yad Vashem and of standing in the Hall of Names, overwhelmed by Pages of Testimony detailing the individual lives so brutally cut short.

We mark Holocaust Memorial Day at a time of successive repugnant attacks on Jews here in the UK and overseas. Jews killed for being Jews, in the twenty first century.

The appalling Manchester synagogue attack of 2 October during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

The terrorist murders in December as Australian families gathered at Bondi Beach to celebrate the joyful time of Chanukah.

Instead facing an unimaginable ordeal and loss of life. And the ever-present, horrific October 7 Hamas attacks – the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

All the grieving families and friends are in our thoughts today.

The loved ones of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz and all the congregants of Heaton Park Synagogue.

The parents of Ran Gvili in such anguish and pain as the wait continues for the return of his remains. And all communities mourning victims and facing hate today. 

Here in the UK, I want to pay tribute to the light of the Jewish community that shines so brightly in our country, enhancing in so many areas our communal life.

The volunteers from Community Security Trust guarding against attacks and protecting communal events. The fantastic, life-saving work of Jewish Women’s Aid, who support victims of domestic abuse.

The brilliance of Mitzvah Day – with thousands of people volunteering in their communities up and down the country.

The humanitarian work of World Jewish Relief, helping keep Ukrainian families warm this winter in the face of Russian aggression.

And I want to say clearly on behalf of this Government. That we stand with the Jewish community today and every day. Unresolving in our resolve to tackle those who spread the poison of antisemitism online and on our streets. Unrelenting in our determination to stand against antisemitism.

Hence further allocations to the CST through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant. Including for additional security staff and equipment following the Manchester attacks.

The Home Office’s independent review of public order and hate crime legislation. Steps in the education sector to tackle antisemitism in schools, universities and colleges.

In the NHS through Lord Mann’s review of the regulatory system for healthcare professionals.

And in my role as Foreign Secretary, I will continue to work with counterparts around the world to tackle the global of rise of antisemitism. Including close collaboration with Canada and Australia in the wake of recent attacks.

Just as I am committed to preventing atrocities and pushing for accountability wherever they occur – from Sudan to Iran.

We cannot only be witnesses to memory. We are its custodians. How we remember shapes how we act for the future. And how we act shapes the world we pass on.

By bridging generations, we honour those who were lost. We defend those who remain. And we protect those yet to come.

Thank you.