Category: Foreign Affairs

Alicia Kearns – 2023 Speech on the Execution of Alireza Akbari

The speech made by Alicia Kearns, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, in the House of Commons on 16 January 2023.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The thoughts of the entire Committee are with Mr Akbari’s family.

From hostage taking to terrorist plots, assassinations, nuclear extortion and destabilisation of the middle east and Europe, Iran is a terrorist state and it has weaponised human life. This is the first murder of a dual national since the 1980s. It is a clear escalation.

I make four asks. First, the House is clear that we need to proscribe the IRGC. Can the Foreign Secretary confirm that he recognises that that is a policy decision, not a legal one? Secondly, we need to close down the IRGC’s operating centres within the UK, such as the one in Maida Vale. These are centres for spreading hostile influence within the UK. Can the Secretary of State also confirm that he will consider reactive sanctions to help the ordinary Iranians for whom no one else will stand up? After every state murder, we should impose sanctions to show we will give their voice some support. Finally, can he reassure me that he is confident of the safety of our staff in Tehran? I remember the stories of my colleagues who were under siege by the Iranian state in the past, and I am gravely concerned about their safety at this time.

James Cleverly

My hon. Friend the Chair of the Select Committee raises incredibly important points. She knows the long-standing convention about speculating about sanctions and proscriptions, but I absolutely take the points that she has made about ensuring that the response we take here in the UK and, indeed, in conjunction with our international partners sends an incredibly clear message to the regime that these actions are unacceptable and will be responded to each and every time they take place. With regard to the actions that we take domestically here in the UK, I can assure her that we work closely with our Home Office colleagues on our collective response, and I agree with her that the safety of our team in Tehran is incredibly important. I pay tribute to them for the work that they do in incredibly challenging circumstances, and I also pay tribute to the demonstrations of international solidarity that we regularly receive from other platforms in Tehran.

January 18, 2023
Bambos Charalambous – 2023 Speech on the Execution of Alireza Akbari

The speech made by Bambos Charalambous, the Shadow Foreign Minister, in the House of Commons on 16 January 2023.

I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. I am responding on behalf of the Opposition as my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) is on a visit to Northern Ireland and so is unable to be here.

The execution of Alireza Akbari is the most horrendous human rights abuse—a barbaric act of politically motivated murder at the hands of the Iranian regime. The whole House’s condolences and solidarity are with his family at this time of unimaginable grief.

That the Iranian regime chose to take Mr Akbari’s life to make a political point to the British Government is a disgrace. The death penalty should never be used for any crime, but we must call these executions in Iran what they are: a gross attempt to silence a protest movement by striking fear into the hearts of ordinary Iranian people. In Mr Akbari’s case, his execution is a direct message to the British Government. Such executions are, in the words of Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, state-sanctioned killings.

Mr Akbari returned to Iran after a successful career in business in the UK to advise the Government on the nuclear deal between the west and Iran. He wanted to see a successful deal to end the western sanctions on the country.

We have discussed many times in this House the importance of a strong response to this brutal regime. The Government must now proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, either through the existing process or by amending the National Security Bill to create a new process of proscription for hostile state actors. The playbook of the regime is to use brutality and violence for its own political ends and its own survival. In his most recent threat update, MI5 director Ken McCallum referred to 10 kidnap and death plots by the Iranian regime on British soil. When an organisation threatens the lives of British journalists and British Iranian activists in the UK, that organisation is a terrorist organisation.

When will the Foreign Secretary proscribe this heinous organisation, and what action will he take to protect the lives of British Iranians in the UK and in Iran? I heard what he said about the condemnation internationally, but what further conversations has he had with international partners to ensure a co-ordinated response to condemn and curtail the regime’s appalling attack on the lives and human rights of its own people?

James Cleverly

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments on the solidarity that the whole House sends to the family of Mr Akbari. He will know that the future proscription or sanctions designation of individuals or entities is not something that we speculate about or discuss at the Dispatch Box. However, he should know that we share the revulsion that he expressed.

As I said, we do not limit ourselves to the actions that we have already announced. I have spoken with His Majesty’s ambassador to Tehran and I will of course be speaking with other parts of Government about what further action we can take in response to the vile behaviour of the regime. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we speak regularly with our international friends on our collective response to Iran, both in the region and beyond, and we will continue to do so.

January 18, 2023
James Cleverly – 2023 Statement on the Execution of Alireza Akbari

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 16 January 2023.

With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the execution of a British national in Iran.

On Saturday morning, Iran’s regime announced that it had executed Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian dual national. I know that the thoughts of the whole House will be with his wife and two daughters at the time of their loss. They have shared his ordeal—an ordeal that began just over three years ago when he was lured back to Iran. He was detained and then subjected to the notorious and arbitrary legal process of the regime. Before his death, Mr Akbari described what was done to him and how torture had been used. Let there be no doubt: he fell victim to the political vendettas of a vicious regime. His execution was the cowardly and shameful act of a leadership that thinks nothing of using the death penalty as a political tool to silence dissent and settle internal scores.

In February last year, Mr Akbari’s family asked the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for our support, and we have worked closely with them ever since. I want to pay tribute to them for their courage and fortitude throughout this terrible period. In line with their wishes, the Minister of State, my noble Friend Lord Ahmad, lobbied Iran’s most senior diplomat in the UK as soon as we learned that Mr Akbari’s execution was imminent. We maintained the pressure right up until the point of his execution, but, sadly, to no avail.

When we heard the tragic news on Saturday morning, we acted immediately to demonstrate our revulsion. I ordered the summoning of Iran’s chargé d’affaires to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to make clear our strength of feeling. Our ambassador in Tehran delivered the same message to a senior Foreign Ministry official. Ten other countries have publicly condemned the execution, including France, Germany and the United States, and the European Union has done the same. I am grateful for their support at this time.

We then imposed sanctions on Iran’s Prosecutor General, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who bears heavy responsibility for the use of the death penalty for political ends. His designation is the latest of more than 40 sanctions imposed by the UK on the Iranian regime since October, including on six individuals linked to the revolutionary courts, which have passed egregious sentences against protesters, including the death penalty. In addition, I have temporarily recalled from Tehran His Majesty’s ambassador, Simon Shercliff, for consultations, and we met and discussed this earlier today. Now we shall consider what further steps we take alongside our allies to counter the escalating threat from Iran. We do not limit ourselves to the steps that I have already announced.

Mr Akbari’s execution follows decades of pitiless repression by a ruthless regime. Britain stands with the brave and dignified people of Iran as they demand their rights and freedoms. Just how much courage that takes is shown by the appalling fact that more than 500 people have been killed and 18,000 arrested during the recent wave of protests. Instead of listening to the calls for change from within Iran, the regime has resorted to its usual tactic of blaming outsiders and lashing out against its supposed enemies, including by detaining a growing number of foreign nationals for political gain. Today, many European nationals are being held in Iranian prisons on spurious charges, including British dual nationals, and I pay tribute to our staff—both in Tehran and here in the UK—who continue to work tirelessly on their behalf.

Beyond its borders, the regime has supplied Russia with hundreds of armed drones used to kill civilians in Ukraine. Across the middle east, Iran continues to inflict bloodshed and destruction by supporting extremist militias. And all the while, the steady expansion of the Iranian nuclear programme is threatening international peace and security and the entire system of global non-proliferation. In the last three months alone, Britain has imposed five separate packages of sanctions on Iran, and today we enforce designations against more than 300 Iranian individuals and entities. We have condemned the regime in every possible international forum, securing Iran’s removal from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and, alongside our partners, creating a new UN mechanism to investigate the regime’s human rights violations during the recent protests.

The House should be in no doubt that we are witnessing the vengeful actions of a weakened and isolated regime obsessed with suppressing its own people, debilitated by its fear of losing power, and wrecking its international reputation. Our message to that regime is clear: the world is watching you and you will be held to account, particularly by the brave Iranian people, so many of whom you are oppressing and killing. I commend this statement to the House.

January 18, 2023
James Cleverly – 2023 Statement on One Year Since Houthi Attacks on United Arab Emirates

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 17 January 2023.

A year ago today the Houthis inflicted a deadly attack on the UAE, killing 3 innocent civilians.

The UK’s commitment to standing with our Emirati friends in the face of threats to their security is as strong today as it was then.

January 18, 2023
Grant Shapps – 2023 Speech to the Atlantic Council at its Global Energy Forum

The speech made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in Abu Dhabi on 14 January 2023.

The UAE seems to be playing some part in my fate.

Last year, I found myself just 100 kilometres away from here.

But, far from the beaches and the skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it felt like a different world.

There, in the middle of the desert, I saw a sparkling sea of a different kind.

The deep blue shine of millions of photovoltaic panels in the sun, generating hundreds of megawatts of renewable electricity.

Panels which will eventually become part of one of the largest solar plants in the world.

I had little idea then that fate would return me here only a year later as the Minister responsible for energy.

Today, some things remain the same; the UAE is still right at the cutting edge in generating low-cost solar power on a frankly stunning scale. Right here in Abu Dhabi, they’re breaking fresh records in solar technology at Al Dhafra and Shams.

But much has changed, and not just for me.

In many ways, we find ourselves in a different world.

The last time this forum convened, Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine was just beginning.

Now, we face a winter which, for many in Europe, is overshadowed by concern about falling energy supplies and rising prices…

…a winter when households have had to think twice before turning up the thermostat…

…when factories have been forced to pause production…

…when inflation has rocketed…

and growth has slowed.

It is also a winter that comes at the end of a year that saw flooding in Pakistan…

…heatwaves in the UK…

…and bomb cyclones in the US.

A year when we began to feel the likely impacts of climate change in earnest.

There is much about the last twelve months that I could not have foreseen back then.

And looking forward to 2023, the future is far from clear; I certainly wouldn’t want to make too many predictions.

But – putting matters of predestination aside – there’s one thing we can be sure of: energy matters now more than ever.

So where do we go from here?

Perhaps we are best off starting with the ways that world has changed for the better in 2022.

Off our Eastern coast, we completed Hornsea Two – the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

There, you will find over a hundred turbines.

At their very highest point, they are a dizzying 200m above the stormy seas below.

For those of you who have visited the Zayed Sports City Stadium, that’s almost the height of two football pitches stacked on top of each other.

Just a single rotation of one of these turbines generates enough electricity to power a home for 24 hours.

But Hornsea Two is far from our first success – because we’re home to the world’s second, third, and fourth largest wind farms, too.

Today, all of them are capturing the high winds of the North Sea, in a year when we beat our record for wind power generation three times.

And across the Atlantic in California, we’ve witnessed another extraordinary achievement.

Just a month ago, scientists at the Laurence Livermore National Laboratory announced one of the most significant energy breakthroughs in living memory.

Aiming 192 high-powered lasers at a tiny spherical capsule just 2mm wide, they were able to harness the same reactions that power the sun and stars to demonstrate fusion ignition, proving what until now had only existed in theory and paving the way towards what could be one day a near-limitless source of energy for the future. And back in the UK, we’re taking leaps of our own.

We’re not just developing our very own fusion power plant, a ‘spherical tokamak’ on the site of an old coal power station in the Midlands. We are also operating the Joint Energy Torus, the most powerful fusion facility in the world and taking the lead in regulating and commercialising fusion technology, working out the best way to get it out of the lab and into the real market place, and into the world.

These are stories of entrepreneurs and innovators, working together to deliver clean, secure energy for millions, and jobs for thousands more.

Stories that tell us that the fates of energy security, net zero, and the economic growth are inseparably intertwined.

Dependable supplies of fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, have a crucial role to play in easing the energy transition, which we just heard about in the discussion on stage.

But it is only by harnessing the power of transformative green technologies that we can build a global energy system that is fit for the future.

Whether that’s in the UK, where we’re developing small modular reactors which promise to make nuclear easier, faster, and cheaper… and we have been running them in the sea for the last six days.

…or here in Abu Dhabi, where operations have begun at the Barakah nuclear power plant, the first nuclear power plant not just in the UAE but in the whole Arab world, expected to deliver up to a quarter of the nation’s electricity needs when fully up and running…

…and where, last week, ADNOC announced $15bn to accelerate its decarbonisation strategy, investing in everything from energy efficiency and electrification to carbon capture.

Now yesterday, I signed a Clean Energy Memorandum between the UK and the UAE to promote energy security and investment between our two nations.

Agreements like this matter. Because when it comes to climate change, the whole world has a stake. And none of us should have to settle for less.

So working together really matters…

…to deliver a low-carbon future that isn’t just more secure and more prosperous…

…but a future that is fairer is a future I think that is worth fighting for.

Our International Climate Finance has already provided an astonishing 58 million people with improved access to clean energy since 2011.

But we are delivering on our pledge to double it up to at least £11.6bn from 2021, reaching tens of millions more.

Because the Green Industrial Revolution must not leave anyone behind.

After all, you can’t just shut down your power stations and be done with it, leaving millions without energy or employment.

That’s where Just Energy Transition Partnerships come in. They are mobilising billions to support the transition from coal power to clean growth in key economies like South Africa and Indonesia.

And, by investing in new green energy supplies, electric vehicles, and hydrogen, they are providing security and opportunity for communities across these countries.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have to say it is fitting that we are here in the UAE, 2023’s COP28 President elect Sultan Al Jaber and his great leadership and speech this morning. Because it is here that we are seeing and building on the extraordinary progress that has been made since Glasgow, built on in Egypt, but this year we will have to see those real developments, in this stocktake COP taking place in November and December.

We face challenges the likes of which no generation has ever faced before.

Let me just take you briefly back to that solar sea in the desert that I talked about visiting last year.

Today, they’re building the tallest solar tower in the entire world.

Concentrating the heat reflected by tens of thousands of moving mirrors onto a single point, it will be a shining a beacon hundreds of meters above the ground – and a lighthouse above the blue beneath.

Innovations like these -creating powers in new ways – must be an inspiration for us all, guiding us towards a better energy technology of tomorrow.

But none of this can be done alone. None of it can be done alone.

I have talked today about fate, not just my fate but also your fate – or our joint fates.

And I said before that we could only be certain of one thing: energy matters more today than it ever has done in the history of humanity.

In the face of great challenges, we have no oracles to turn to…

…nor do I have any Delphic maxims to offer.

But, without climbing the steps of Mount Parnassus, or any other high mountain, I think there is one thing that we can be absolutely sure of…we will succeed as humanity in doing this.

One thing I can’t be certain of is my fate, other than to say, I know the UAE will continue to be a big part of it and I can predict with absolute confidence that I will be back here in December. I look forward to seeing you all at COP28. Thank you very much.

January 14, 2023
James Cleverly – 2023 Statement on the Execution of Alireza Akbari

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 14 January 2023.

The execution of British-Iranian Alireza Akbari is a barbaric act that deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms. Through this politically motivated act, the Iranian regime has once again shown its callous disregard for human life.

This will not stand unchallenged and we will be summoning the Iranian Charge d’Affaires to make clear our disgust at Iran’s actions. Our thoughts are with Mr Akbari’s family.

January 14, 2023
James Cleverly – 2023 Statement Warning Iran Not to Execute Alireza Akbari

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 13 January 2023.

The Iranian regime should be in no doubt. We are watching the case of Alireza Akbari closely. Iran must not follow through with their brutal threat of execution.

January 14, 2023
David Rutley – 2023 Statement on the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Rule of Law

The statement made by David Rutley, the Minister for Americas and the Caribbean, at the UN Security Council on 12 January 2023.

Thank you, Mr President. I am grateful to our briefers for their valuable contributions today.

The UK has long been an advocate for the rules-based international order as the foundation of international peace, development and human advancement, and we remain deeply committed to it today.

At the heart of this order, is the UN Charter.

Since its inception in 1945, 193 countries have ratified that Charter, committing to work together to save future generations from the scourge of war, promote human rights, and uphold international law.

And within that Charter, Articles 1 and 2 are of particular importance to today’s Security Council discussion. These Articles provide the foundations for global peace and security. They include an express commitment by Member States not to threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. And they oblige Member States to settle disputes by exclusively peaceful means.

These are principles we have all made a commitment to. And for all the tragedies and bloodshed of the last 8 decades, the remarkable truth is that global commitment has made a difference, with the number of deaths in state conflicts as a share of global population falling by 95% between 1946 and 2020.

And yet, while many countries – indeed the vast majority – have demonstrated how seriously they take their commitments under the UN Charter, a handful continue to show their disregard for the rules-based international order, and the Rule of Law.

Mr President, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is a particularly stark example. Through its unprovoked invasion, sham referenda and illegal attempted annexations, Russia has shown contempt for its obligations under the UN Charter. Russia has clearly violated the prohibition of the use of force and the principle of non-intervention in contravention of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is made more egregious by the fact Russia is a permanent member of this Council, which brings with it a particular responsibility.

Elsewhere too, we continue to see certain Member States act in a way which demonstrates a disregard for the rules-based international order.

Iran’s nuclear programme has never been more advanced than it is today. It is threatening international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system.

In North Korea, the unprecedented launch of 70 ballistic missiles in 2022 violates multiple Security Council Resolutions also continues to threaten international peace and security.

And in Syria, the targeting of schools, hospitals and emergency first responders – by the Regime and Russia – are flagrant violations of international law and, indeed, basic human decency. Rape and sexual violence have been widely used as a weapon of war, notably by Regime pro-government forces.

Today’s discussion is timely. Any breach of the UN Charter and its fundamental principles, which underpin global peace and security, represents a threat to us all. And so now, more than ever, the International Community must come together to reiterate our support for the UN Charter, and the Rule of Law; commit to work together to strengthen the rules-based international order and the Rule of Law, and to send a clear signal that we will not tolerate efforts to undermine the rules-based international order. The United Kingdom looks forward to working with you all to do so.

Thank you, Mr President.

January 12, 2023
David Rutley – 2023 Statement at the UN Security Council Meeting on Colombia

The statement made by David Rutley, the Minister for Americas and the Caribbean, at the UN Security Council on 11 January 2023.

Thank you President, Special Representative Massieu.

The UK Government remains committed to supporting the consolidation of peace in Colombia through the full implementation of the peace agreement with the FARC.

We welcome the Colombian Government’s commitment to implement the 2016 agreement as a fundamental part of its work to secure a broad and lasting peace.

We have been pleased to see renewed momentum over the past three months, including the government purchase of 3 million hectares from the Cattle Ranchers Association; the reactivation of the National Reintegration Council, and the concluding resolutions passed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

We welcome today’s Council’s decision to expand the mandate of the UN Verification Mission, to cover progress on the rural reform and ethnic chapters of the peace agreement. It is clear that progress on these two chapters is vital.

As the Secretary-General set out in his recent report, violence remains the greatest threat to the consolidation of peace in Colombia.

We welcome the decisive action taken by the Government to strengthen public security forces in new reintegration areas, and the Vice-President’s announcement of increased funding to safeguard women leaders and human rights defenders.

We share the Government’s concern about attacks on human rights defenders, environmental advocates, and other civil society activists. We are committed to tackling these threats together in order to secure a better future for the Colombian people. We also welcome the continued close cooperation between Colombia and its international partners on tackling drugs and organised crime.

In this context, we welcome Government-led efforts to secure a ceasefire, in order to reduce insecurity and alleviate the suffering of conflict-affected populations.

We also welcome Special Representative Massieu’s support for the Government’s ongoing dialogue with the ELN.

President, Colombia remains an example to the world of the transformative potential of dialogue and leadership. I’ve seen that commitment first-hand on a recent visit.

As the Colombian people seek to overcome the remaining barriers to a broad and lasting peace, the UK is proud to stand with them.

January 12, 2023
Jesse Norman – 2023 Statement on Travellers from China and Covid-19 Testing Requirements

The statement made by Jesse Norman, the Minister of State at the Department for Transport, in the House of Commons on 9 January 2023.

The Government have taken action, under powers within the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984, to limit the risk of covid-19 infections from travellers originating from China.

The Government have announced these precautionary and temporary measures to improve the UK’s ability to detect potential new variants of covid-19 from China, following an increase in cases there and the easing of their border measures from 8 January.

The decision has been taken due to a lack of comprehensive health information shared by China. The situation remains under review and if there are improvements in information sharing and greater transparency then the temporary measures will be amended.

On 30 December 2022, the Government announced that they would require people flying directly or indirectly from mainland China to England to provide proof of a negative pre-departure test, taken within two days of departure. This came into effect as of 4 am on 5 January 2023. This applies to transiting passengers, as well as those whose final destination is England.

In addition, we announced that the UK Health Security Agency will launch surveillance that will see a sample of passengers from China, arriving at Heathrow airport only, undertaking PCR tests for covid-19 on a voluntary basis. UKHSA activated this process on 8 January in readiness for the first flights arriving later this week. All positive samples will be sent for sequencing to enhance existing measures to monitor for new variants.

The UK joins a growing list of countries across the world, including the US, France, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Malaysia and India, in announcing measures designed to help to detect and assess any new covid-19 variants.

While public health is a devolved matter and these measures currently apply only in England, the Government continue to work closely with the devolved Administrations.

The Government recognise the impact that these temporary health measures may have on businesses and passengers. The situation remains under constant review and the UK is working with industry and closely monitoring the situation on the mainland while encouraging China to provide greater transparency on their covid data.

January 11, 2023