The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 15 June 2026.
It looks as though Vladimir Putin may have ordered an arson attack against the British Prime Minister last year.
That is an incredibly serious escalation and shows why we must redouble our efforts with Ukraine and the rest of Europe to resist and deter Putin’s aggression.
The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 15 June 2026.
I warmly welcome today’s agreement reached between the United States and Iran. This is a hugely important step forward in ending the war, ensuring regional stability and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. I congratulate President Trump and the mediators from Pakistan, Qatar and elsewhere who have contributed to this breakthrough. We have long urged de-escalation and this is the progress we had hoped to see.
Attention must now turn to fully implementing the memorandum of understanding to ensure the Strait reopens and remains fully and permanently open, and that the detailed elements of the nuclear agreement are finalised. We stand ready to support the technical talks that will now begin. Our priority is that this becomes a durable and lasting peace, and we will work with international partners to support that.
We are clear that toll-free freedom of navigation must now be restored in the Strait of Hormuz, to begin easing the severe economic impacts that have been felt for several months – on families here in the UK and around the world.
We will continue to work with partners to support this – including, if required, through standing up the defensive, independent multilateral mission which the UK and France have taken a leading role in planning up to this point, particularly to offer support on mine clearance in an agreed way.
For any peace to endure, it is essential that the commitments made, particularly in relation to Iran’s nuclear programme, are robust, verifiable and fully implemented. It remains the UK’s firm and longstanding position that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.
The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 11 June 2026.
Tomorrow marks one year since Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London. This tragic accident claimed the lives of 260 people, including 52 British nationals and 113 others who lived in the UK—one of the largest losses of British life in any air accident. The continued heartache of the families and loved ones of those who died is impossible to imagine, not least for those who still have questions about the tragedy and the aftermath.
The thoughts of the whole Government remain with all those affected by this tragic accident. When I visited New Delhi last week, I joined Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in commemorating the tragedy. I also raised the importance of closure for all those who have been left bereaved, as we continue to wait for the full accident investigation report, and as some families still wait for answers regarding their loved ones’ remains.
The UK Government response to the crash was both immediate and long lasting. Following the crash, officials initiated our crisis response to provide direct support to bereaved families and address the needs and welfare of all affected British nationals. Our high commissioner, Lindy Cameron, travelled to Ahmedabad on the day of the crash and has continued to support the UK deputy high commission team in the city. Trained consular staff were deployed to Ahmedabad to support families through the immediate period following the crash, along with experts from disaster victim identification, Red Cross and the UK air accidents investigation branch.
UK police family liaison officers also supported the families of deceased British and foreign nationals who were residents in the UK, and the FCDO continues to provide support to each family in need of help, including through dedicated consular caseworkers to hear feedback from the families and their representatives. As the Indian air accident investigation continues, AAIB family liaison teams have provided support to affected families. We also continue to engage with Air India and Indian Ministries to resolve outstanding issues that families have raised.
At every level, from family liaison officers to Ministers, what we have heard constantly from those who lost loved ones a year ago is that they want information and answers, to help them understand how a tragedy like this could have happened, and to know for certain what happened to their loved ones remains in the aftermath. Not knowing what caused the crash can only add to their sense of grief and frustration, and I hope that the accident investigation report, when completed and published by the Indian authorities, will answer some of their questions. The UK Government will continue to provide all the help and support we can as they seek answers to the rest.
In the meantime, my deepest sympathies remain with all those who lost their lives a year ago, and with all those who continue to mourn that loss today.
The letter sent by Maithripala Senanayake, the then Acting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, on 17 March 1976.
My dear Prime Minister,
Your High Commissioner in Sri Lanka has delivered your message informing me of your decision to relinquish the office of Prime Minister.
I was extremely sorry to receive this news. We are greatly appreciative of the distinguished role you have played in the affairs of the Commonwealth. We particularly value the initiatives taken by you to make the Commonwealth responsive to the needs and aspirations of the developing countries. I am sure that your colleagues will feel your absence not only in their dealings with your country but also at the Commonwealth Meetings.
I should like to express my sincere appreciation for the personal interest you have taken in fostering the relations between our two countries. I share your conviction that these close relations will continue to grow in strength.
I send you my best wishes for your good health and happiness.
Maithripala Senanayake,
Acting Prime Minister.
The letter sent by Henry Kissinger to Harold Wilson on 18 March 1976.
Dear Harold,
The announcement of your decision to retire as Prime Minister has left me with a profound sense of loss. I have known you as long as any political leader in the world either in or out of office. In addition to the privilege of being associated with you in political life, I have always considered you a personal friend as well and have had, throughout these years, tremendous respect and admiration for your vision, dedication and leadership. We will miss you.
Warmest regards,
Henry A. Kissinger
The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 9 June 2026.
Mr Speaker, this weekend we saw worrying and dangerous escalation. Lebanese Hezbollah continuing to fire into northern Israel, Israeli strikes against southern areas of Beirut, and the direct exchange of missiles between Iran and Israel – presenting one of the most dangerous moments since the fragile ceasefire was agreed.
Over the past 48 hours we have made clear the need for urgent de-escalation, because a resumption of conflict is in no one’s interest, and I spoke to the Iranian Foreign Minister on Sunday evening to convey this directly.
Both Israel and Iran have indicated that they have ended their strikes, and that is welcome, but there was reporting just before I entered the Chamber of strikes again this morning.
It is vital that we have a diplomatic way forward, both to end the conflict in Lebanon, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to restore regional stability, and prevent Iran ever developing or obtaining a nuclear weapon.
As we have previously made clear in this House, Israel’s recent escalation in Lebanon was reckless and disproportionate, and deepened the humanitarian crisis that has already seen more than a million Lebanese people driven from their homes and thousands killed.
We strongly condemn Hizbollah’s attacks against Israel, including its northern communities, because at Iran’s instigation, Hezbollah – a proscribed organisation – is dragging Lebanon into a war that is against the interests of its people and its government. It must end this dangerous attack and disarm, and the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon must be properly observed by all parties.
We want to see a swift and successful conclusion to the ongoing talks between the US and Iran. We need an agreement that gets the Strait fully open with no tolls or charges, and last week I discussed this with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in China and Foreign Minister Jaishankar in India.
Every country has a stake in freedom of navigation, and the UK will continue to speak up for this across the world.
In partnership with France and other countries, we stand ready to play our part, once agreement is reached, to support demining and provide reassurance to shipping through a multilateral maritime mission. With cost-of-living pressures at home, we need a lasting settlement, which delivers peace and stability in the region and the full restoration of global trade.
Let me turn now to Palestine. Nine months ago, at the UN General Assembly, I confirmed the UK’s historic decision to recognise the State of Palestine, and we did so alongside partners in recognition of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and to defend the viability of a two-state solution.
We did so as part of a wave of international diplomatic energy in support of peace in the Middle East, and it was a crucial moment of hope that we could end the violence and suffering and begin to build a better future of lasting peace and security for Palestine, Israel, and the wider region.
But today the situation is bleak, and the viability of the two-state solution remains in grave peril.
We turn first to Gaza. The ceasefire remains formally in place, but it is being regularly violated. Since October, over 900 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. 1.9 million Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid – and aid is down this year, not up, with 90% of water and sanitation infrastructure destroyed and not rebuilt. Families without shelter, a public health crisis with rodent infestations and communicable disease, and currently at barely half the level of the 4200 trucks a week promised in the 20 Point plan.
Israel’s registration law continues to severely restrict international NGO operations, while key crossings remain closed, and it is a total moral outrage that children are still going hungry while food they need rots on shelves because aid agencies cannot get in.
Meanwhile, Hamas decommissioning has not yet started, and they retain a tight hold on areas of Gaza, and instead of the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops, Gazans are restricted to just 40% of the territory unable to access their land beyond the yellow line. Mr Speaker, we urgently need new international energy, new pressure and new action to resuscitate the 20 Point Plan.
For the UK, that means pressure in three priority areas.
First, increased aid is urgent and must be unconditional. Despite all the challenges, UK aid is making a difference on the ground. Last year, we provided over £80 million of humanitarian and early recovery funding – with funding protected again this year, enabling 650,000 people to receive food and improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for 300,000 people.
UK support for mine clearance has enabled 45 acres of land to be made safe for community use and helped clear 24 key sites, including medical facilities. Today, I can announce a further million pounds to support these mine clearance efforts.
But some UK aid is still stuck in warehouses, including in Jordan and Egypt, and humanitarian support is a fundamental right – it cannot be bartered against other aspects of the peace plan. So, the Netanyahu government must recognise its urgent humanitarian responsibility to open crossings and to end the arbitrary restrictions, so the UN, UNRWA, and international NGOs can fulfil their life-saving mandates.
Second, we continue to press for the decommissioning of Hamas weapons to get under way. Hamas must destroy its terrorist infrastructure and weapons production sites as a first step towards full demilitarization, and we have offered UK technical expertise to support this. Meanwhile, Israel must deliver on its commitments to withdraw.
Third, we need the practical support and access that was promised for the transitional Palestinian National Committee. There are still too many obstacles in its path, and it is still not operating within Gaza itself. That makes it easier for Hamas to retain its hold.
We have offered practical support to the committee as they endeavour to fulfil their mandate, and we will lead international calls to support them in co-ordination with the Palestinian Authority. Because Palestine should be run by Palestinians.
Which brings me to the West Bank. Following the ceasefire agreement, I warned that sustained peace would not be possible without a comparable effort to protect the viability of Palestinian statehood and rights in the West Bank. Instead, we have seen the opposite.
Last week, a seven-month-old baby was killed in his mother’s arms, his name was Sam Abu Haikal, after the IDF opened fire on a family car in South Hebron, and the UK supports the calls for an immediate and transparent investigation and robust accountability.
Over the weekend, a gunman in Israel opened fire, with one killed and five injured, an attack that shockingly was applauded by Hamas.
We have also seen rising and incredibly disturbing settler violence, Palestinian families and communities driven from their homes, brutally beaten while farming their own land. 950 violent incidents this year already. In April, settlers shot dead two Palestinians while attacking a school, and one was a boy of 14.
Mr Speaker, the UK condemns the shocking violence which terrorizes Palestinians. Many Israelis are horrified at what they are seeing from settler extremists. The Netanyahu government has condemned some settler violence, but that rings hollow when there is scant accountability, and when the agenda of the hardline settlers has now become intertwined with the approach of this Israeli cabinet.
So, let me set out today new action this government will take.
First, I am announcing a new wave of sanctions targeting the networks that are supporting this violence. Organisations including the Farms Association that fundraises for illegal outposts, strongholds for settler aggression. Ahavat Gilad that serves as the Farms Association’s financial conduit, and Artzenu, that has fundraised for military equipment for armed settler squads.
This is the fourth package of sanctions under this Labour government against extremist Israeli settlers. We have targeted some of the most notorious individuals, the most significant settler entities, and the extremist figures in the Israeli Cabinet who are inciting these acts. Today’s measures mean the UK is second to none among international partners in targeting those facilitating and inciting settler violence.
We are also going further – on the 22nd of May, the Prime Minister led a group of other world leaders, warning businesses not to bid for construction tenders for E1 or other settlement developments.
But this is not just about construction contracts. So today, alongside the Department for Business and Trade, I have strengthened our Business Risk Guidance to make it clear and unambiguous: if you are a British citizen or business, you should not conduct any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements.
And today, alongside my Right Hon. friend the Culture Secretary, I have written to the Charity Commission for England and Wales requesting that they open an investigation into evidence of UK charities that have links to illegal settlements. The Minister for the Middle East will meet with the Commission CEO tomorrow, because no UK charity should be supporting or enabling these breaches of international law.
The principles we are acting on, I believe, are widely supported across this House. We believe that settlements are a fundamental barrier to peace and a flagrant breach of international law. We believe that violent settler groups should not be profiting from the land that they have seized from Palestinians, and we also believe we must continue to distinguish and protect trade with people and businesses across the state of Israel – trade that reflects long-standing and important ties between our countries and communities.
We will look to continue to co-ordinate our approach with close allies and look at further concrete steps to counter settlement expansion and promote peace and security.
Finally, let me address our support for Palestinian governance. We are keeping up the pressure on the PA, the Palestinian Authority, to deliver its vital reform commitments on education, welfare payments, and elections.
We are expanding the direct practical help to the PA to reform and to deliver effective government for its people, drawing on the deep expertise of the UK Envoy for PA governance, Lord Michael Barber.
But the PA faces an enormous fiscal and healthcare crisis because the Israeli Government has a stranglehold on the Palestinian economy, including withholding $5 billion of Palestinian tax revenue. That means schools and health facilities struggle to stay open for more than one or two days a week.
An effective PA is directly in Israel’s interest. It is both utterly wrong and incredibly short-sighted for the Netanyahu government to seek to undermine it at every turn.
So, the UK has stepped up our efforts in support, alongside the support for reforms. This year, we provided PA funding that helped 5,300 health workers sustain front-line services, and today I can announce we will provide at least £10 million further to support the PA over 2026 to pay salaries bolstering the PA’s ability to function, helping dedicated health professionals to do their essential work across hospitals, clinics and maternity services.
And our focus will be to build more effective, more democratic, and more accountable governance, and to reinforce the unity of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem as inseparable pillars of the state of Palestine.
International pressure and partnership on the ground have been vital over the last 12 months, and so later this week I will travel to Paris, along with other foreign ministers, in advance of the Peace Building Conference, which is bringing together Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups, alongside international partners dedicated to advancing the two-state solution.
Because the momentum of last year must be reinvigorated for the sake of peace and security for all, I commend this statement to the House.
The speech made by Stephen Timms, the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on 9 June 2026.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of its adoption, the UK Government remains strongly committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and we continue to make progress towards implementation.
At international level, as co-chair, the UK hosted the Annual General Meeting recently of the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network in Edinburgh, alongside the International Disability Alliance.
With over 100 attendees, member states, multilaterals, foundations, Disabled People’s Organisations, the event enabled partners to coordinate their strategies to advance disability rights and inclusion globally.
At home, we continue to work closely with disabled people and their representative organisations, putting their views and voices at the heart of all that we do.
Our new Independent Disability Advisory Panel is connecting the expertise of deaf and disabled people, and those with long-term health conditions, into the design and delivery of health and disability policy.
I am co-producing the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and others.
We are continuing to work closely with the British Sign Language Advisory Board in implementing the British Sign Language (BSL) Act 2022, which includes departmental reporting to improve accessibility.
Our forthcoming cross-government Plan for Disability will be a key step.
It will set out a vision for what our government aims to achieve for disabled people in the longer term, and a summary of initial steps that will be taken towards achieving it.
It will also set out priority next steps for the government to remove the barriers which confront disabled people and need to be removed.
This work is being supported by our Lead Ministers for Disability, one Minister representing the interests of disabled people and championing disability inclusion and accessibility in each government department.
We want to ensure positive progress on policy affecting disabled people right across government.
To make sure that this support is grounded in the principles of the Convention, we have produced an online training package for government officials which supports consideration of the treaty and the convention in their work.
The comments made by Robert Jenrick on 9 June 2026.
Reform UK have announced we will ban visas for anyone coming from Sudan.
Enough is enough.
To those who ask why, here are some indicative statistics:
-The conviction rate for violence by Sudanese migrants is nearly double that for British people.
-Only one Sudanese criminal was successfully returned back to Sudan last year.
-99% of asylum claims from Sudan were granted in 2024.
-There were 14,150 Sudanese-born welfare claimants in 2019. That means nearly half of all Sudanese migrants here are on benefits.
The only reason to have immigration is if it makes British people safer and richer. Clearly migration from Sudan is doing the opposite.
So Reform will ban it, and finally put the British people first.
I know from my time in Westminster that only Nigel Farage has the conviction to actually get this done.
As for the Sudanese man arrested in Belfast for trying to behead someone, he needs to be on the first flight out of the country.
We don’t want to hear any human rights claims from him.
We cannot live alongside someone so barbaric.
The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 29 May 2026.
Last night a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and hit a residential building, injuring civilians. This is a serious violation of NATO airspace. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure threatens the security of our entire continent. The UK unreservedly condemns such strikes.
Time and again, Russia has shown it has no regard for civilian life, for international law, or for the sovereignty of its neighbours. That must not be allowed to stand.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, with Romania, and with all our NATO allies in the face of continued Russian aggression.
The comments made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 21 May 2026.
It is vital we act now to save lives – outbreaks like Ebola do not stop at borders, and neither can we.
This outbreak is a stark reminder that global health threats require a global response. The UK is working hand-in-hand with partners – boosting much needed funding but also sharing our technical expertise, to contain the outbreak, protect our security, and support those most at risk.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is assessing routes by which travellers enter the UK from the affected countries and will be working with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for Transport, and Border Force to ensure information is available to them on Ebola symptoms and how to access healthcare if unwell. The UK has updated its travel advice and advises against all but essential travel to some parts of the DRC.