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Category: Foreign Affairs

  • Chris Elmore – 2025 Statement on Abductions in Nigeria

    Chris Elmore – 2025 Statement on Abductions in Nigeria

    The statement made by Chris Elmore, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, in the House of Commons on 27 November 2025.

    My noble Friend the Minister of State for International Development and Africa (the right hon. Baroness Chapman of Darlington) has today made the following statement:

    I am writing to update the House on recent abductions in Nigeria, and the UK’s ongoing security partnership with Nigeria.

    In the last week, Nigeria has faced a further series of abhorrent abductions from schools and churches, including the attack on St Mary’s catholic school in Niger state, which is one of the largest recorded mass abductions in the country’s history. These crimes are intolerable. Everyone should be safe to exercise their fundamental human rights to education and freedom of worship. The UK stands firmly with the people and Government of Nigeria during this difficult time, and of course with the families of those children who have been abducted.

    As a valued Commonwealth friend, we are working closely with our Nigerian partners as they respond to these incidents, and welcome the efforts to date to secure releases of schoolgirls in Kebbi state and worshippers in Kwara state. One year on from the signing of the UK-Nigeria strategic partnership in November 2024, which includes our security and defence partnership as a key pillar, our co-operation continues to strengthen security and prosperity. This includes assisting the Nigerian Government to establish a dedicated unit, the multi-agency kidnap fusion cell, which brings together Nigeria’s police, military and justice agencies to rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

    The safety of school children is paramount. UK education funding has supported school safety improvements including through the “Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria Education” programme. In March 2025, with UK support, a safe school rapid response co-ordination centre was launched in Jigawa state, providing training and deployment of security personnel to public schools.

    Abductions and kidnap for ransom remain a prevalent issue across Nigeria. Across the country, insecurity continues to devastate communities and severely impact ordinary people, driving displacement, heightening protection risks and eroding livelihoods. In the north-east, terrorist groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have indiscriminately killed individuals not just from Christian but also from Muslim communities. In the north-west and north-central, criminal bandits are primarily targeting communities for profit and ransom.

    This Government are committed to strengthening our security and defence partnership with Nigeria to address the roots of insecurity. In my meeting with Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, on 11 November, we discussed the security situation in Nigeria and issues relating to freedom of religion or belief, and the Foreign Secretary also discussed with him on 10 November the ongoing importance of UK-Nigeria security co-operation.

    Through our security and defence partnership, we are helping to build capacity within Nigeria’s security agencies to effectively undertake counter-terrorism operations, investigations and intelligence analysis to prevent future attacks. Our “Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria” programme is working with Nigerian partners to address the root causes of intercommunal conflict, support collaboration and productive livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists and strengthen conflict early warning and response systems.

    Through our strategic partnership, this Government remain committed to working with the Government of Nigeria to tackle insecurity in all its forms.

    We will continue to express our solidarity with the people of Nigeria, to express our condemnation of these abhorrent abductions, and to stand up for freedom of religion or belief both in Nigeria, and throughout the world. We join the Government of Nigeria in calling for the safe return of all those who have been kidnapped, and call for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.

  • Calum Miller – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    Calum Miller – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    The speech made by Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, in the House of Commons on 18 November 2025.

    I thank the Foreign Secretary for advanced sight of her statement, which I welcome.

    The Foreign Secretary is right that the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan is horrendous, as are accounts of systematic murder, rape and torture, often targeted at civilians from specific ethnic groups, and, in particular, the widespread use of sexual violence towards women and girls. The UK has a special responsibility as the penholder for Sudan at the UN. We must be relentless in pursuing true protection for civilians, so will the Foreign Secretary update the House with her assessment of the role of external actors in supporting the warring parties? Will she lead efforts at the UN to secure and implement a country-wide arms embargo? How will the UK ensure that the UN inquiry that she referred to can gather evidence, so that those actors, both inside and outside Sudan, who are responsible for these atrocities are held to account?

    Turning to the middle east, last night’s UN Security Council resolution marks an important step forward, and I hope that it will reinforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. However, vital details are missing from the resolution. What will be the remit and scope of the international stabilisation force? How will Hamas be disarmed? How will those responsible for atrocities in Gaza be held accountable, and how does the Foreign Secretary envisage that a Palestinian committee will ensure that Palestinian self-determination is respected?

    The resolution focuses on Gaza, but we desperately need a clear road map to securing a two-state solution. That requires an end to illegal settlements in the west bank and East Jerusalem, and reform of the governance of the Palestinian Authority. How is the UK supporting reforms to the PA, and will the Foreign Secretary today commit to banning all UK trade with illegal settlements?

    Yvette Cooper

    I welcome the response by the Liberal Democrat spokesperson. I agree with him about the importance of an arms embargo around Sudan, and about ensuring that it is properly implemented. It is deeply disturbing that weapons are still being supplied to the RSF, despite the atrocities, and that there are still weapon flows to all sides. That means that there are immensely serious issues, including around borders, access and routes, that we need to continue to pursue through international pressure.

    The hon. Gentleman raised a point about the investigations. The UN Human Rights Council resolution that the UK drafted with partners provides for the UN-led investigation of these atrocities, but that will be scant comfort to anyone if there is not also the urgently needed action to prevent further atrocities. There must be accountability, but there must also be urgent action to prevent atrocities in the first place.

    On Gaza, work is under way to constitute the International Stabilisation Force. Some countries are prepared to come forward and contribute, and crucially the mandates were provided last night. The ISF must operate in line with international law. Further details of how the new Palestinian committee will operate need to be developed, and we want it to be constituted as rapidly as possible. Also, we must see an end to illegal settlements. We need to rebuild the connections between the west bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, so that we can have a Palestinian state, in which people live in peace and security, alongside the Israeli state. That is the only way that we will get to peace for both.

  • Sarah Champion – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    Sarah Champion – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    The speech made by Sarah Champion, the Chair of the International Development Committee, in the House of Commons on 18 November 2025.

    This morning, Members received a private briefing on Sudan, at which one of the academics stated:

    “El Fasher is a slaughter house. Our low estimate is 60,000 people have been killed there in the last three weeks.”

    That would make it the biggest atrocity crime since the 1990s. These are civilians, not soldiers, and this is not about conflict; it is about genocide. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been briefed on the likelihood of a mass-casualty event for years. In November 2021, the FCDO was publicly warned of a likely genocide. The recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact report concluded that last year, officials took “the least ambitious option” on civilian protection. I say to the Foreign Secretary that scrutiny and diplomatic surge can slow down this slaughter, so are we leading the 25 states who signed the joint statement on 11 November to work together to put pressure on the United Arab Emirates? Why has our atrocity prevention team not been surged? Tawila now needs to be our focus of our protection. What are the evacuation plans to protect up to 650,000 people from genocide? The Sudanese civilians need a champion. As UN penholder, will that be us?

    Yvette Cooper

    I thank my hon. Friend for her work and that of her Committee on this issue. She is right to point out the truly horrendous nature of what is happening in Sudan and the atrocities that we have heard about. People have been executed in the middle of a maternity hospital and lives are being lost at scale, and the fact that so few people are emerging from the area makes it deeply troubling to consider what more we may discover. Because I am so deeply concerned, I have raised the issue not just at the Manama dialogue, but at every international discussion that we have been having with foreign ministers, and directly with all members of the Quad, including the UAE and the US, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as we need urgent action. I agree with my hon. Friend that this is also about preventing further atrocities, which are at risk of happening at any moment if we do not have that urgent action.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    Andrew Rosindell – 2025 Speech on Gaza and Sudan

    The speech made by Andrew Rosindell, the Shadow Foreign Affairs spokesperson, in the House of Commons on 18 November 2025.

    I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of her statement. His Majesty’s Opposition welcome the passing of the US-drafted resolution at the United Nations Security Council yesterday. The US has shown consistent leadership on the middle east, and for that we are grateful. Hamas must now release the final three deceased hostages. We keep their loved ones, and the families of all the deceased hostages, in the forefront of our thoughts. We cannot even begin to imagine what trauma they have endured.

    Key to yesterday’s resolution was a mandate for the International Stabilisation Force, but can the Foreign Secretary set out exactly what Britain’s contribution will be to that force? The Government speak about the need for the force to be deployed quickly, to avoid a potential power vacuum being filled by Hamas. What is Britain’s contribution? Are we looking at technical assistance, the sharing of expertise or intelligence, funding, action on the ground, or all of the above? It is important that the Foreign Secretary is clear and precise about those details. Will she also update the House on which countries are expected to participate, and say what their contributions will be?

    Of course, the removal of Hamas from power and their full disarmament are vital if we are to turn this ceasefire into a sustainable end to the conflict and the cycles of violence. Following yesterday’s vote, what practical contribution will the UK make to those efforts? The Foreign Secretary will be aware that there are several points in the US President’s plan specifically on that, so where does the UK dock into those initiatives? Has she identified which areas the UK will focus on as a contribution to the broader transitional day-after plan? Can she at least confirm that a fundamental curriculum and education overhaul in Gaza, and indeed the west bank, will be a key focus? We have seen huge strides elsewhere in the middle east in that domain, and this must now be a moment of reckoning for the curricula in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—that is vital if we are to build a sustainable peace.

    On the immediate humanitarian crisis in Gaza, what practical actions is the Foreign Secretary undertaking with the Government of Israel to achieve the surge in aid for innocent civilians that we all want to see? Specifically, which crossings does she believe will need attention? What is the quantum of designated British aid that is not getting over the border into Gaza? Have specific proposals and solutions been conveyed by the British side to Israeli Government counterparts on how to address the bottlenecks that we all want to see resolved?

    Turning to the situation in Sudan, in El Fasher and elsewhere we continue to witness atrocities, suffering and human misery beyond words, all in plain sight of a watching world. Accountability must be administered. In the immediate term, the UK should be trying to spearhead a step change in the level of pressure on the warring parties to agree a comprehensive ceasefire. As my right hon. Friend the shadow Foreign Secretary has argued, we need heavy new sanctions on key operators, and action to deter entities, individuals and businesses whose support continues to sustain the conflict. Will that be forthcoming, and what discussions is the Foreign Secretary having on that with counterparts in the US, the EU, the Sudan quad and others? Will she also update the House on the Government’s response to US efforts to bring about a humanitarian ceasefire, and say what role Britain is playing in that?

    On the dire humanitarian conditions, it was confirmed at the Dispatch Box earlier this month that the shifting of frontiers in the conflict is affecting aid delivery. How has the situation evolved in the past two weeks, and what levers can be pulled to try and smash through obstacles to aid delivery? Finally, on day-after planning, will the Foreign Secretary update the House on efforts to build up the capacity and capabilities of organic civilian political groups, to give Sudan the best chance of moving to stable civilian government after a ceasefire? We have seen what the US has achieved through the UN Security Council on Gaza this week, and I hope that similar initiatives will be possible with regards to Sudan. As penholder, the UK Government have a special responsibility, so will the Foreign Secretary confirm her next steps on the UNSC? As the conflict moves from bad to worse, we must shift gear.

    Yvette Cooper

    I thank the hon. Gentleman for his response to the issues relating to Gaza and Sudan, and I will take his points in turn. We do not expect the UK to contribute troops to the international stabilisation force, but we are already providing military and civilian deployment into the civil-military co-ordination committee that is led by the US. It is drawing up practical arrangements for implementing the 20-point plan. On the nature of the role that we expect to continue to play, we already provide training for Palestinian police, for example, and I have met US military forces who are involved in that training. I met them in Jordan, and other countries are also offering to provide such training for Palestinian police, which will be critical to maintaining security and safety. We have also offered expertise on decommissioning. That is an area where, through the Northern Ireland experience, we have experience and expertise, mostly immediately around de-mining capabilities in terms of both funding and expertise.

    The hon. Gentleman raised the issue of curriculum reform, which I agree needs to take place. That is a crucial part of the Palestinian Authority reforms, and I have discussed that directly with President Abbas. The importance of maintaining the commitments that the Palestinian Authority has made to curriculum reform must be central in both the west bank and in Gaza. On practical issues about the opening of crossings, we want to see all the crossings opened and restrictions lifted. The co-ordination committee, which has a UK presence, is working directly with the Israeli Government to seek to improve access and monitoring, and to improve arrangements to get more aid through. I continue to urge swifter action to get that desperately needed aid in place.

    On Sudan, I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s support for sanctions. I have had personal direct discussions with all members of the quad, including most recently the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, and I know how strongly he feels about the terrible, horrendous atrocities that are taking place in Sudan. We will continue to offer our support to that process.

    On aid delivery, based on what the UN and Tom Fletcher have been saying, it looks as though some of the routes into the region are currently completely inadequate, so security and infrastructure need to be provided to get the desperately needed scale of aid into the area. We will need to look at air routes as well as truck routes. He is right to point to the need for the organic support for Sudanese civilian organisations. It is crucial that ultimately we have a transition to a civilian Administration in Sudan and an end to the horrendous fighting, abuse and sexual violence that we have seen, with reports on all sides of those sorts of atrocities taking place.

    Finally, US leadership has been incredibly important in achieving the ceasefire agreement and the peace process so far in Gaza, but it has also depended on the international community coming in alongside the US and working together to deliver the progress so far. We need that same international commitment for Sudan and we need the whole international community to pull together to deliver progress in the same way.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2025 Statement on Gaza and Sudan

    Yvette Cooper – 2025 Statement on Gaza and Sudan

    The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 18 November 2025.

    I want to update the House on two of the world’s gravest conflicts—in Gaza and in Sudan—following recent resolutions in the UN and discussions at the G7, and on the action that the UK Government are taking to pursue peace.

    First, I turn to Gaza. After two years of the most horrendous suffering, the ceasefire agreement led by President Trump with the support of Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye has been in place for six weeks. Twenty hostages are now home with their loved ones, and the remains of 25 more have been returned so their families can grieve. More aid trucks are entering Gaza. But the ceasefire is highly fragile, and there is still a long journey ahead to implement the commitments made at Sharm el-Sheikh and to get to a lasting peace.

    Last night, the UN Security Council passed resolution 2803. The UK voted for this important resolution, which authorises the establishment of an international stabilisation force for Gaza, and transitional arrangements including the board of peace and a Palestinian committee. It underscores the essential need for humanitarian aid and reconstruction, and points the way to a path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. Crucially, it is supported by the Palestinian Authority, and Arab and Muslim partners in the region and beyond. The resolution is a critical staging post that sustains the unity around President Trump’s 20-point plan.

    Momentum must now be maintained. It is essential that an international stabilisation force and trained Palestinian police can be deployed quickly to support the ceasefire and to avoid a vacuum being left that Hamas can exploit. We will also need the urgent formation of a Palestinian committee alongside the board of peace. As we made clear at the UN last night, these transitional arrangements must be implemented in accordance with international law, and respecting Palestinian sovereignty and self- determination. They should strengthen the unity of Gaza and the west bank, and empower Palestinian institutions to enable a reformed Palestinian Authority to resume governance in Gaza, because Palestine must be run by Palestinians.

    The work to implement the first phase of the ceasefire agreement must continue. That means work so that Hamas releases the bodies of the remaining three hostages taken in the terrorist attack on 7 October, so that their families can properly grieve. We urgently need a major increase in humanitarian aid, because aid into Gaza is still a trickle rather than a flood. Two weeks ago, I visited warehouses in Jordan holding UK aid for Gaza, including one run by the World Food Programme with enough wheat to feed 700,000 people for a month; yet it still sits there because the Jordanian route into Gaza is still closed. People there told me that there were 30 more warehouses nearby, with food, shelter kits, tents and medical supplies—less than 100 miles from Gaza but still not getting in.

    I welcome the very recent improvements in aid flows, and that one more border crossing, Zikim, is now partially open. But it is not nearly enough. We need all land crossings open—including the Rafah border with Egypt— with longer and consistent hours, and urgent work is needed immediately in all parts of Gaza to rebuild basic public services and to provide shelter as winter draws in. Medical staff must be allowed to enter and leave Gaza freely, and international non-governmental organisations need certainty that they can continue to operate. I spoke to the King of Jordan and to doctors in Amman about a maternity and neonatal field hospital unit that stands ready to be moved into Gaza—but, again, they cannot yet get it in. The Israeli Government can and must remove the restrictions and uncertainty now.

    As well as working with the US and others, we are drawing on distinct UK strengths to support a lasting peace. We are providing expertise on weapons decommissioning and ceasefire monitoring, based on the Northern Ireland experience. We are supporting on demining and unexploded ordnance, including with £4 million of new UK funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service, and we are funding to surge in experts, including from British organisations such as the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group, whose impressive work I recently saw at first hand. On civil-military co-ordination, we have UK deployments into a dedicated US-led hub for Gaza stabilisation efforts.

    Beyond Gaza, stability in the west bank is essential to any sustainable peace, and I am concerned that the PA faces an economic crisis induced by Israeli restrictions that are strangling the Palestinian economy. The Netanyahu Government should be extending, not threatening to end, the arrangements between Israeli and Palestinian banks—arrangements that are crucial to the everyday economy for Palestinians. This is crucial for stability, which is in Israel’s interests too.

    The pace of illegal settlement building continues. We have seen further appalling incidents of settler violence during the olive harvest. While I welcome Israeli President Herzog’s expression of concern, the response of the Israeli authorities is still completely insufficient—practically and legally. Tackling settlement expansion and settler violence is vital to protecting a two-state solution, in line with the UK’s historic decision to recognise the state of Palestine.

    Let me turn now to Sudan, where the worst humanitarian crisis in the 21st century is still unfolding, right now. The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, who has just visited the area, has described it as:

    “the epicentre of suffering in the world”

    and he is right. Over 30 million people need lifesaving aid. Twelve million have been forced from their homes. Famine is spreading. Cholera and preventable disease are rampant. In El Fasher, following advances by the Rapid Support Forces, there are horrifying scenes of atrocities, with mass executions, starvation, and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war—horrors so appalling they can be seen from space.

    As the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has put it, El Fasher is a crime scene. Satellite pictures show discolouration of sand consistent with pools of blood, multiple clusters of objects consistent with piles of human bodies, and the apparent burning of bodies and operations to dispose of bodies in mass graves. Further horrors will yet unfold unless greater action is taken.

    A year ago, Britain tabled a resolution at the UN Security Council demanding humanitarian access and civilian protection, but it was shamefully vetoed by Russia. Six months ago, at our London-Sudan conference, the UK brought together international partners and secured £800 million in funding, but the situation continues to deteriorate, including with North Kordofan now under threat and fighting moving to El Obeid.

    We need a complete step change in efforts to alleviate the suffering and bring about peace. That means more aid to those in need. The UK has committed over £125 million this year alone, delivering lifesaving support to over 650,000 people—treating children with severe malnutrition, providing water and medicine, and supporting survivors of rape—but the challenge is still access.

    The RSF still refuses safe passage to aid organisations around El Fasher. The Sudanese armed forces are bringing in new restrictions that stand to hinder aid. Both sides must allow unhindered passage for humanitarian workers, supplies and trapped civilians. We are urgently pressing for a three-month humanitarian truce to open routes for lifesaving supplies, but aid will not resolve a conflict wilfully driven by the warring parties, so we desperately need a lasting ceasefire underpinned by a serious political process.

    At the Manama dialogue conference in Bahrain two weeks ago, I called for the same intense international efforts to address the crisis in Sudan as we have seen around Gaza. At Niagara last week, I joined our G7 partners in calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for the unimpeded access of humanitarian aid, and for external actors to contribute to the restoration of peace and security. We are engaging intensively with the Quad countries—the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States—which have now together called for an immediate humanitarian truce, and an end to external support and arms that are fuelling conflict. I strongly support Secretary Rubio’s latest comments regarding the need to end the weapons and support that the RSF is getting from outside Sudan.

    Last Friday, the UK called a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in which a UK-drafted resolution was passed, securing international consensus for an urgent UN inquiry into alleged crimes in El Fasher, because impunity cannot be the outcome of these horrifying events. We need to ensure that teams can get in to investigate those atrocities and hold the perpetrators to account, and I have instructed my officials to bring forward potential sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in Sudan.

    The UK will play its full part to ensure that it is the Sudanese people, not any warring party, that determines Sudan’s future. Wars that rage unresolved do not just cause untold harm to civilians; they radiate instability, undermine the security of neighbouring states, and lead migrants to embark on dangerous journeys. We are striving to meet those urgent humanitarian needs, and striving to secure not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of lasting peace. From Gaza to Sudan that can only be done through international co-operation, and through countries coming together for peace. I commend this statement to the House.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2025 Statement on Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher

    Yvette Cooper – 2025 Statement on Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher

    The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 27 October 2025.

    Further advances by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, Sudan, are having a horrifying and devastating impact on civilians. With hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the city, many facing forced displacement and indiscriminate violence, the humanitarian consequences are catastrophic. Civilians must be able to leave safely and access lifesaving aid without obstruction.

    We are witnessing a deeply disturbing pattern of abuses in El Fasher — including systematic killings, torture, and sexual violence. Women and girls are facing particularly horrific violations such as sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war, and their suffering must not be ignored.

    Both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have publicly committed to protecting civilians and enabling humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. These commitments must now be translated into immediate and concrete action. Orders must be issued to forces on the ground to ensure the safety of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and operations. The RSF leadership will be held accountable for the actions of their forces.

    All parties must urgently cooperate with the UN and humanitarian agencies to enable safe, rapid, and unimpeded access, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2736. Attacks on civilians, aid workers, and civilian infrastructure — including hospitals — must stop now.

    UK aid is making a difference on the ground, including reaching the most vulnerable through organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. In total we are contributing by providing over £120 million in aid to Sudan, including allocating an additional £5 million to the Sudan Cash Consortium, with around two-thirds of this support for the most vulnerable in North Darfur.

    Bringing an end to the war in Sudan will also support security at home and help tackle illegal migration to the UK. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the Quad, to push for an immediate ceasefire and a path toward peace. The suffering must end.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of the Bodies of the Deceased Hostages

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of the Bodies of the Deceased Hostages

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 14 October 2025.

    The release of the bodies of the deceased hostages is a profoundly difficult moment for the families who have endured terrible and protracted pain over the last two years at the hands of Hamas. The loss of Yossi Sharabi will be felt deeply by his family, after Hamas so cruelly drew out their horror and denied them the right to grieve. 

    I know from meeting his family just how loved Yossi was, and how devastating this ordeal has been. My thoughts are with them, and all of the hostage families.

    Hamas must now return the remaining deceased hostages and honour the terms of the ceasefire. Moving forward, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure the next phase of the peace plan is implemented in full.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Hostages by Hamas

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Hostages by Hamas

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 13 October 2025.

    I share the deep feeling of relief as Avinatan Or and other hostages are released today. But this is also a stark reminder of the treatment that he has been subject to at the hands of Hamas, and the atrocities that shook the world two years ago. 

    Having met his family, I know that no one can truly understand the torture and agony they suffered for two drawn out years and my thoughts are with them. My thoughts are also with the family of Yossi Sharabi, who are still waiting for news. 

    I reiterate my thanks for the tireless diplomatic efforts of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye. It is now crucial that we work together to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, and that will be my focus in Egypt today.

    Commitment to this plan from all parties will be essential to ending the war and building the foundations for a sustainable path to a long-term peace. The UK will support the crucial next stage of talks to ensure the implementation of the peace plan.

  • Hamish Falconer – 2025 Speech at Wilton Park Conference

    Hamish Falconer – 2025 Speech at Wilton Park Conference

    The speech made by Hamish Falconer, the Minister for the Middle East, at Wilton Park on 13 October 2025.

    Excellencies, colleagues, friends,

    Welcome to Wilton Park, and thanks to those who’ve travelled so far to be here.

    It’s a privilege for the UK to host this gathering – at such a pivotal moment – alongside our friends from the Palestinian Authority and Egypt.

    This peace deal brings hope to the world, after two years of conflict and suffering.

    I want to pay my respects to every innocent person who has faced fear, hardship and loss.

    Now, finally, we can begin to look forward to a brighter future – for Palestinians, for Israelis, for the Palestinian State and for the Two-State Solution.

    We commend the key negotiators from the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for finding a way through and for starting to build the foundations of peace.

    The UK is committed to playing a leading role in accelerating Gaza’s reconstruction, working with you, our international partners.

    Together, we are backing a Palestinian-led recovery and reconstruction.

    We know the scale of the task. We know how urgent it is, and how complex it will be. The government has said it will take years and cost billions.

    We must be ready to act – to clear rubble, rebuild homes and set up infrastructure, restoring access to education and healthcare.

    And we must also lay the groundwork for long-term economic development.

    Gaza, and Palestine more broadly, has real economic potential. Human capital, resilience, a critical location and a global diaspora, including here in the UK. That potential must be unlocked.

    This conference is about how we do that, together. How we support the Arab Reconstruction Plan. And how we unlock the vast resources needed, not just through traditional donor finance, but by thinking creatively to bring in private capital.

    The UK is well placed to help. We bring deep expertise in private investment and strong links to the City of London. But this is a shared effort. You bring the technical expertise, the regional insight and the relationships that will make this happen.

    This is ultimately about meeting the needs and ambitions of Gazans.

    It’s also about reconnecting Gaza and the West Bank, economically, politically, socially. And supporting the viability of a Palestinian state as part of a Two-State Solution.

    I want to thank all our Palestinian participants for joining us. We know what you and your communities have endured. I know the experience and insight you bring will play a crucial role in achieving our goals.

    I also want to thank our partners from Europe, the Arab region, investment funds and development institutions. Your engagement will shape what’s possible.

    I very much look forward to our discussions today and the outcomes of this conference.

    Together, let’s seize the opportunity to turn this moment of hope into lasting peace and progress.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement in India

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement in India

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 9 October 2025.

    Namaskar doston. Prime Minister Modi, it was an honour for me to host you in the United Kingdom in July at Chequers, and I am so delighted to be making this return visit just a few short months later. And can I just extend my thanks to the very warm welcome that you and the whole country extended to me as Prime Minister, to the whole delegation and through us, to the whole of the United Kingdom. 

    It is very much appreciated, very much noticed, and it is an important statement as we stand here, about our shared commitment to this special relationship. Because we are building something here, we are creating a new, modern partnership focused on the future and on winning the opportunities that it offers, and we’re doing it together. And that’s why we struck the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in July. A breakthrough moment, years in the making. Slashing tariffs, increasing access to each other’s markets to drive growth and create jobs for our people and making life better in both of our nations. 

    Beyond the words on the page of the agreement is the spirit and the confidence that that has given to our two great countries to work even more closely together, something which we’ve seen evidence during the course of this visit here over the last two days. 

    It is significant that we’re meeting here in Mumbai as India’s economic and financial capital, because India’s growth story is remarkable. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister on his leadership, aiming to be the world’s third largest economy by 2028. And your vision of Viksit Bharat is a completely developed country by 2047, and everything I’ve seen since I’ve been here is absolute proof to me that you’re on track to succeeding in that. So we want to be partners on that journey, and my visit this week is about doubling down on the potential of our trade deal for the benefit of all of us, and that’s why I brought a record 126 British businesses with me to India this week. We had to get a bigger plane to travel over here than the one we planned, but that delegation is some of our biggest, most iconic businesses, and smaller and medium sized businesses, but also leaders from education, some of whom are with us here, and sport and the arts. 

    As I say, our largest trade delegation for a decade, and so my first as Prime Minister, so of course, the destination for that had to be here, had to be India. Later today, the Prime Minister and I will convene a renewed CEO forum, and that was much discussed yesterday as a direct channel for business. There was a real buzz in the room yesterday that this forum is going to have real life breathed into it to embody the agreement that we’ve already reached to ensure that the deal does deliver the opportunities that we want to see. And we are committed to that, and when we leave India later on tonight I expect that we will have secured major new investments creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in the sectors of the future for both of our nations. 

    The UK and India stand side by side as global leaders in tech and innovation, and so we’ve also taken the opportunity to deepen our cooperation through our Technology Security Initiative with new commitments on AI, advanced communication, defence technologies and much, much more. We’re announcing a deal to make Bollywood films in the United Kingdom after a fantastic visit to the studio yesterday. And we’re deepening our cooperation in education as we’ve evidenced here on the film and with the people that we have in the room. It is the younger generation in India who will lead the charge to deliver on that 2047 target. The demand for the best quality higher education is very high, so I’m really pleased that we’re announcing today that all British universities will be setting up campuses right here in India, making Britain India’s leading international provider of higher education and delivering on our Vision 2035 that we set out in July. 

    These incredible economic bonds are the jewel in the crown of this relationship, but of course, our cooperation goes much wider too, and so we’ve had the opportunity to discuss issues of vital importance to global stability and security, including the situation in the Middle East. I strongly welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of the peace plan in Gaza. This is a moment of profound relief that we felt around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families and for the civilian population of Gaza who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years. I’m grateful for the tireless diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, United States and many others in securing this crucial first step. 

    This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay and be accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life saving humanitarian aid to Gaza. The UK will support these crucial immediate steps and the next stages of the talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan. 

    The Prime Minister and I also discussed the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the need for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to cooperate in critical areas like climate and energy, including breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels. 

    India is a global player. We sit together in the Commonwealth, the G20, and we want to see India taking its rightful place on the UN Security Council too, so we are committed to strengthening our strategic partnership and in fact has already been mentioned, our carrier strike group is, is here in India right now exercising with the Indian Navy, showing the strength of that relationship on defence and security which we’ve discussed this morning we want to take even further. 

    And look, the whole thing, this particular partnership, goes much deeper because in the end it is about people. The human connections between India and the UK are unique, forming what Prime Minister Modi has called the living bridge between our two countries. A bridge between people, a bridge between hearts, and in that spirit Prime Minister, I want to express my deepest sympathies to all the victims of the Air India crash earlier this year. A terrible day and a tragedy for both of our nations, and it showed, frankly, that we are family. 

    And I am proud this week that we are taking this incredible partnership between our two nations and making it stronger than ever for working people on both sides of that bridge. Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity, as we enter the festive period, to wish the people of India joy and happiness and a very happy Diwali. Diwali ki shubhkamnayein. Thank you.