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Category: Foreign Affairs

  • Preet Gill – 2020 Comments on Cost of Whitehall Reorganisation

    Preet Gill – 2020 Comments on Cost of Whitehall Reorganisation

    The comments made by Preet Gill, the Shadow International Development Secretary, on 11 August 2020.

    The Government should be completely focused on getting on with its job of governing the country and steering us through the huge challenges we face.

    Getting rid of an independent Department for International Development during a global pandemic is irresponsible, counter-productive and wrong. It is consistently rated as the most effective and transparent department at delivering real value for money for British taxpayers, whereas the Foreign Office routinely ranks far worse.

    At a time when we need the global health expertise to drive the global response to Covid-19 and avoid further deadly waves, abolishing the department will undoubtedly put the lives of people here in the UK and those abroad at serious risk.

  • James Duddridge – 2020 Comments on Belarus

    James Duddridge – 2020 Comments on Belarus

    The comments made by James Duddridge, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister, on 10 August 2020.

    The UK calls on the Government of Belarus to refrain from further acts of violence following the seriously flawed Presidential elections. The violence and the attempts by Belarusian authorities to suppress protests are completely unacceptable.

    There has been a lack of transparency throughout the electoral process in addition to the imprisonment of opposition candidates, journalists and peaceful protestors. We are deeply concerned that Belarus’ failure to issue a timely invitation prevented the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe from observing the electoral process. It is also unacceptable that British Embassy staff and other members of the diplomatic community were obstructed from carrying out their duties as fully accredited independent election observers.

    Throughout this election campaign we have witnessed the demands of the Belarusian people for democracy, for fundamental freedoms and for the right to determine their futures in an independent, sovereign Belarus. The UK, along with our international partners, calls on the Government of Belarus to fulfil its international commitments and the aspirations of its people.

  • Catherine West – 2020 Comments on Belarus

    Catherine West – 2020 Comments on Belarus

    The text of the comments made by Catherine West, the Shadow Minister for Europe and the Americas, on 10 August 2020.

    We are deeply concerned by the evolving situation in Belarus, including alarming reports of stun grenades, rubber bullets and water cannon being used against peaceful protestors.

    Belarusians have the right to decide their own future and to select their own government in free and fair elections. President Lukashenko should commit to an open and transparent process to determine the result and pledge to honour the path chosen by the people of Belarus.

    Any use of force against peaceful protests should be condemned and the UK must work with our international partners to ensure the rights of the Belarusian people are protected and upheld.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2015 Comments on Migrants in Mediterranean

    Douglas Alexander – 2015 Comments on Migrants in Mediterranean

    The comments made by Douglas Alexander, the then Shadow Foreign Secretary, on 22 April 2015.

    Foreign Office Ministers spent months arguing against search and rescue missions, opposed them at an EU level and didn’t even reference them in recent public statements as recently as this weekend.

    Yet today, under pressure in the BBC’s Daily Politics Election Debate on Foreign Affairs, Philip Hammond admitted that search and rescue must form part of any EU response to this crisis in the Mediterranean.

    Now it’s time to turn Philip Hammond’s words into practical European action. So when he goes to Brussels this week, David Cameron carries a heavy responsibility to ensure an urgent reassessment of the current EU patrol mission to prevent further loss of life.

    Six months ago it was his own Minister, Baroness Anelay, who said that search and rescue in the Mediterranean created “unintended pull factors”, but today the Foreign Secretary has been forced to admit the government were just wrong.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2015 Comments on Migrants in Mediterranean

    Yvette Cooper – 2015 Comments on Migrants in Mediterranean

    The comments made by Yvette Cooper, the then Shadow Home Secretary, on 23 April 2015.

    This summit must urgently restore full search and rescue. The British Government and all of Europe must stop turning its back on people drowning on Europe’s shores.

    David Cameron and Theresa May were very wrong to oppose search and rescue, immoral to argue removing rescues would end the ‘pull factor’ and wrong to turn their backs since October in the face of continued tragedy. They must reverse their position this week.

    Refusing search and rescue means letting people drown to try to deter others and it is immoral. As we have argued for six months, search and rescue must be restored and Europe must work together to help those in peril.

    And while it is welcome that Europol is increasing its investigations and operations against the traffickers profiting from death, this Council must ensure the full weight of the EU is put behind a drive to end these criminal operations which are capitalising on the instability in Libya and conflicts in the region. That also means a much more effective long-term strategy for managing EU external borders – to ease the burden on countries managing the seas and the land borders to the east.

    This summit is the result of a serious moral failure in British and other European Governments. It needs to generate a plan that puts European leadership back on the right path.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2016 Comments on Brussels Terror Attack

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2016 Comments on Brussels Terror Attack

    The comments made by Jeremy Corbyn, the then Leader of the Labour Party, on 22 March 2016.

    Today, our thoughts and sympathies are with the people of Brussels.

    We stand in solidarity with the victims of these horrific attacks, their friends and families, and the men and women of the emergency services.

    We must defend our security and values in the face of such terrorist outrages, and refuse to be drawn into a cycle of violence and hatred.

    We take pride in our societies of diverse faiths, races and creeds and will not allow those who seek to divide us to succeed.

  • Dominic Raab – 2020 Statement on Hong Kong Election Disqualifications

    Dominic Raab – 2020 Statement on Hong Kong Election Disqualifications

    Comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 30 July 2020.

    I condemn the decision to disqualify opposition candidates from standing in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council elections.

    It is clear they have been disqualified because of their political views, undermining the integrity of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Joint Declaration and Hong Kong’s Basic Law.

    The Hong Kong authorities must uphold their commitments to the people of Hong Kong.

  • Dominic Raab – 2020 Comments on Malicious Cyber Activity

    Dominic Raab – 2020 Comments on Malicious Cyber Activity

    Comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 30 July 2020.

    Today’s actions will raise the cost on malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors and will help counter future hostile activity in cyberspace. The UK was at the forefront of efforts to establish the EU Cyber Sanctions regime and we will continue to implement this regime after the end of the Transition Period.

  • Wayne David – 2020 Letter on Humanitarian Assistance in Syria

    Wayne David – 2020 Letter on Humanitarian Assistance in Syria

    The letter sent by Wayne David, the Shadow Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, and Anna McMorrin, the Shadow International Development Minister, to James Cleverly, the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, on 29 July 2020.

    Dear Minister,

    RE: UN Security Council Resolution 2533 and cross-border delivery of humanitarian assistance

    We write regarding the failure of the UN Security Council to renew Resolution 2504 on 10th July 2020. The humanitarian impact of failing to authorise border crossings at Bab-al-Salam in north-west Syria and the exclusion of any meaningful action to rectify the border situation in north-east Syria at Al Yarubiyah and Al Ramtha will be catastrophic. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis and humanitarian situation, we write to urge the UK Government to use all its influence on the Security Council to broker a way forward to urgently address this deepening emergency.

    Authorised crossing points into Syria provide a crucial mechanism in the delivery of core humanitarian aid to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. The loss of UN Security Council support for the border crossings at Al Yarubiyah and Al Ramtha in north-east Syria has significantly undermined humanitarian operations and drastically reduced aid to the two million Syrians who require humanitarian assistance. At the time of the loss of both border crossings, only two out of 16 hospitals and four out of 279 primary health centres were operating at full capacity, access to vital medicines fluctuated, and on average only half of aid-dependent Syrians were provided with food aid per month. Increased cross border access, not less, is urgently required.

    Since January the situation in north-east Syria has deteriorated further and COVID-19 has aggravated the aid assistance gap. As of May, only a small number of consignments of UN health supplies have been delivered to the north-east from within the Syrian Arab Republic and Damascus hub, forming three air and two road consignments. PPE, intensive care unit beds, ventilators and incubators have largely been excluded from consignments to hospitals which remain functional.

    In a report published in February, the UN Secretary-General said:

    “At current consumption rates, medical stocks are expected to run out in the coming months.”

    And in a report published in May, the Secretary-General concluded:

    “The combination of more cross-border and cross-line access was required to sustain recent levels of humanitarian assistance, and preferably increase that assistance.”

    The Damascus hub, as the only remaining route for the delivery of aid assistance, is highly politicised and restrictive. Aid transported via the Syrian Arab Republic is one of the most scrutinized modes of delivery for humanitarian assistance in the world. A further 12 months without improved aid access, with the true extent of COVID-19 still unknown and significantly altering the operating environment, means there is an urgent need for real action.

    Many Syrians in the north-west of the country now face seriously deteriorating conditions with many facing the prospect of having to live in overcrowded camps, sharing living environments with multiple families or sleeping out in the open. Practising social distancing measures in these conditions is impossible. Fresh water is scarce, sanitation access is inadequate, and food insecurity and malnutrition are expected to rise. By severing the authorised crossings, Syrians here await a similar fate to that of the north-east for at least the next 12 months.

    Between December 2019 and May 2020 there was a 128% increase in UN consignments at Bab-al-Salam compared to the previous six months and according to the International Rescue Committee health supplies passing through Bab-al-Salam in May reached one million beneficiaries. The crossing is increasingly relied upon as needs surge. The loss of the border crossing will be extremely serious and there can be absolutely no medical or humanitarian justification for such actions. Our understanding is that both China and Russia must bear responsibility for blocking measures to facilitate this crossing and for the loss of UN support for the north-east crossings.

    There is a pressing need to find a way forward to allow the UN, partners and agencies to provide humanitarian relief and medical support and alleviate and prevent the spread and transmission of COVID-19 in the north-west and north-east of Syria, and to continue to tackle the pre-existing health and social vulnerabilities.

    We believe, the UK must show global leadership and work with our partners on the international stage to ensure every action is taken to guarantee current aid remains unimpeded and that we play our part in the global response to COVID19. This must be done as soon as possible, rather than waiting 12 months until cross border access is a matter for debate and scrutiny at the Security Council again.

    We are also urging the Government to increase its efforts to bring about an end to hostilities in Syria. Recent reports of Russian air strikes and increased terrorist attacks are a clear indication that there could be a return to the levels of conflict which was seen at the start of this year. We would therefore urge the British Government to use all its influence to help ensure that the fragile ceasefire does not break down.

    To conclude, we are calling on the Government to ensure the UK uses its position on the Security Council to work with Germany and Belgium as Security Council penholders on Syria to bring forward new stand-alone resolutions to authorise the border crossings in the north-west and north-east, particularly if the COVID-19 situation deteriorates; work with Security Council members to explore whether the Damascus hub and remaining aid delivery routes can be improved; do everything possible to reinforce the ceasefire in Syria and urge all parties to work closely with the UN Special Envoy.

    We look forward to your reply.

    Yours sincerely,

    Wayne David MP – Shadow FCO Minister for the Middle East and North Africa

    Anna McMorrin MP – Shadow International Development Minister

  • Anna McMorrin – 2020 Comments on Humanitarian Assistance in Syria

    Anna McMorrin – 2020 Comments on Humanitarian Assistance in Syria

    Comments made by Anna McMorrin, the Shadow International Development Minister, on 29 July 2020.

    We believe, the UK must show global leadership and work with our partners on the international stage to ensure every action is taken to guarantee current aid remains unimpeded and that we play our part in the global response to COVID19. We are also urging the Government to increase its efforts to bring about an end to hostilities in Syria.