Category: Foreign Affairs

Tariq Ahmad – 2022 Statement at UN Security Council (Lord Ahmad)

The statement made by Tariq Ahmad, Lord Ahmad, the Foreign Office Minister, at the UN Security Council on 15 December 2022.

Thank you Mr President,

Before I go any further, may I join others and express the deepest condolences to my dear friend Simon Coveney, and all the people of Ireland at the tragic loss of a Peacekeeper in Lebanon, someone who was doing their job, and indeed in extending our prayers and best wishes for the recovery of those injured.

Once again, I join with him in our strong solidarity for those who represent this organisation on the world stage and some of the most difficult places in the world and ultimately, as we’ve seen tragically, pay with their lives. We pay tribute to their bravery and courage, and our prayers and best wishes go for the quick recovery of those injured.

Mr President, may I firstly thank you. It is a great pleasure to join the Security Council under your stewardship, and I pay tribute to India of its stewardship and contributions to this Security Council, particularly on this issue of counter terrorism during its tenure on the Security Council.

And, the Government of India deserves immense credit for the focus they have brought on the issue of Council’s counter terrorism and also what lies beneath, and what drives terrorism, which is a perverse ideology of extremism, and we must work together to counter this.

I join also in thanking our three briefers. Mr Voronkov, who I know well, I’m sorry we’re not seeing each other in person today, Mr Chen, and of course the inspiring testimony, bravery, and courage we heard from Anjali Viday Kulthe. Anjaliji, in the face of terrorism your bravery and courage is an inspiration and we thank you.

The meetings that India has led, particularly the excellent counter terrorism committee and meetings in Mumbai and New Delhi. I was delighted that my dear friend the Foreign Secretary was able to join and had set out our strong position of working together with India and indeed all international partners as we work together to counter the global threat of international terrorism. It is a threat, colleagues and friends, that is ever-evolving. It is a threat that is becoming ever more complex. And it requires collective and comprehensive solutions and responses.

Terrorist groups including in Al-Qaeda, who operate today in Afghanistan and beyond, the Daesh affiliated, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab to name but two, who are continuing to work across different parts of the world and inflict human suffering to innocent lives, innocent people, destroying communities around the world. But we also need to recognize and be cognisant of the fact that these terrorist organizations are increasingly employing new methods of radicalisation, the drivers of terrorism, and evolving tactics. They use innovative ways of technology.

Even in the United Kingdom, we continue to face this challenge. Young minds being corrupted, the circumvention of the front door as technology is used as a tool to radicalize young men and women. And these evolving tactics require a response from ourselves as well to ensure that we counter this abhorrent ideology. We must also make effective use of our sanctions regimes, to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons and financing.

We must adapt and evolve our own counter terrorism efforts, prevent terrorist exploitation, and indeed of vulnerable communities. Radicalization takes place through innovative technology means. We need to ensure we counter it through similar measures.

And as we tackle terrorism, we must be vigilant, and uphold three important principles:

Firstly, we urge all colleagues, friends, Member States to address the real drivers of terrorism and violent extremism using a ‘whole of society’ approach.

We must work with communities, with faith leaders, to address and eradicate the perverse ideologies which are used to drive these abhorrent crimes of terrorism. The United Kingdom is working with our partners to understand how the UN can better incorporate civil society perspectives into its work.

Secondly, our policy and programming should understand and address the gender dynamics of terrorism.

We know that terrorists and violent extremists are perpetrators of sexual violence.

Two weeks ago, I had the honor to hose on behalf of the United Kingdom an international conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and to strengthen the global response.

I was honored to host amongst others Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, and many other survivors of sexual violence, who spoke about the need for governments to do more to end these atrocities.

And there is also an important solution. In hearing Anjaliji today and her bravery and courage, we need to ensure those who survive, those who experience the scourge of terrorism, that we work with them hand-in-glove to ensure they inform our policies and what we can also do in working together to eradicate extremist ideology.

We also, and I join with the Foreign Minister of Ireland, call upon why is it in 2022 we are having this conversation of involving more women. It seems almost illogical that women today have to be subject to debates of conversation so they’re involved in the main table, not in some side room, to find solutions. We need to address this, and address this now.

We need to ensure Member States everywhere involve women and take the lead in ensuring that they are very much pivotal to developing strategies to prevent and counter violent extremism and terrorism. Those strategies must address activity that specifically target women. Indeed, as potential perpetrators, victims, and influencers in their communities. And thirdly, I just wanted to touch on the importance of human rights in our responses.

As the Security Council, we have an obligation under international law to protect and promote human rights.

Therefore states must act within the bounds of such law when countering terrorism.

Otherwise, we undermine the very rights and freedoms that the UN was established to promote.

To conclude, Mr President, this Council has a vital and important role in tackling the scourge of terrorism which tragically continues to destroy innocent lives around the world today. And to those lives lost as we remembered them at the start of this meeting, we owe it to act together, and act now.

Thank you Mr President.

16/12/2022
James Cleverly – 2022 Statement on Chinese Consulate General Staff in Manchester

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 14 December 2022.

In October, I summoned China’s acting ambassador to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to demand an explanation for an incident that had occurred outside the Chinese consulate general in Manchester. Soon afterwards, His Majesty’s ambassador in Beijing also sought an explanation from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Images carried on social media showed what appeared to be completely unacceptable behaviour by a number of individuals near the entrance to the consular premises. The right of free expression—including the right to protest and to speak one’s mind—is absolutely essential to our democratic life.

Given the seriousness of this matter, it was correct and appropriate for Greater Manchester police to take the decision to begin an investigation. Earlier this month, the police informed the FCDO that they wished to interview the Chinese consul general and five of his staff. They asked the FCDO to request the Chinese Government to waive the immunity of those individuals to enable the interviews to take place.

The FCDO made this request and gave the Chinese Government one week to comply. In response, the Chinese embassy, acting on instructions from Beijing, notified His Majesty’s Government that the functions of the consul general in Manchester have come to an end and he has returned to China. The embassy has further notified us that the other staff involved in the incident who the police wish to interview have either left the United Kingdom or will shortly do so.

Throughout this episode, I have sought to emphasise that we in the UK abide by the rule of law, follow due process and respect the operational independence of our police. It was right to allow their investigation to proceed so that we could respond on the basis of evidence and facts, rather than images on social media. I am grateful for the professionalism shown by the Greater Manchester police, particularly given the complexities involved due to the immunities held by the staff.

We have been clear with China from the outset that we were prepared to take firm action should the police determine that there was a case to charge officials for their involvement in the incident. We expect a certain standard of behaviour from all foreign diplomats and consular staff in the UK regardless of their privileges and immunities.

The Vienna convention on consular relations allows states to withdraw members of a consular post at any point, as has happened here. However, I am disappointed that these individuals will not be interviewed or face justice. Nonetheless, it is right that those responsible for the disgraceful scenes in Manchester are no longer—or will shortly cease to be—consular staff accredited to the UK.

15/12/2022
George Goschen – 1897 Speech on the Benin Expedition

The speech made by George Goschen, the then First Lord of the Admiralty, in the House of Commons on 22 February 1897.

SIR JOHN COLOMB (Great Yarmouth) asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of the rumours in circulation, if the Government had any information in reference to the expedition to Benin?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY Yes; I am glad to say news has been received of the successful issue of the expedition and with very little loss of life. The following is from Consul General Moore:— Advanced from Ologbo, 14th, in two columns, joining up on 16th. Benin City taken afternoon 18th. Distant 24 miles. Running fight entire route. Great difficulty with carriers getting up water. Considerable resistance taking city; entire force brought up; numbers, 540 men; casualties since my No. 8:—One naval sergeant, one chief petty officer, two Marines, one sergeant Protectorate force, one scout, one carrier killed; one Marine officer, one warrant officer, one petty officer, four Marines, one seaman, six force, eight carriers, three scouts, one interpreter severely wounded; three Marines, two seamen, two force slightly wounded. City now deserted. Neither king nor Juju men captured. A few natives of Phillips’s party have come in from bush. Dreadfully mutilated human sacrifices met en route, and in city crucifixions and mutilations. Juju houses, compounds surrounding them, reek with human blood several deep holes in compounds filled with corpses. Effects of Europeans, Phillips’s party, found in King’s palaver house. Admiral proposes remaining few days assist establish Protectorate force here with necessary supplies. Immediate action taking (sic) capture king and Juju men and pacify country. Inhabitants inclined come in. All survivors well. No fever.” [Cheers.]

15/12/2022
Joseph Chamberlain – 1899 Speech on the Benin Expedition

The speech made by Joseph Chamberlain, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, in the House of Commons on 20 April 1899.

MR. DAVITT (Mayo, S.) I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, by whose orders the Benin Punitive Expedition is being organised and directed, the War Office or the Foreign Office; whether, considering that punitive measures, including the burning of towns and villages and the killing of many people, have already been carried out in retaliation for the killing of Mr. Phillips and his party, there is any necessity to continue action of that character; and, if he can state the number of natives who have been killed and the number of villages that have been burned by British troops since the first march on Benin took place?

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN) Birmingham, W. As this is a matter which affects the Colonial Office, I may be allowed to answer. The proposed expedition is not in retaliation for the massacre of Mr. Phillips and his party, but consists of a detachment of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force, which is being sent from Benin City by Her Majesty’s Commissioner, with the sanction of the Colonial Office, to capture two chiefs—one of whom was in command of the forces which carried out the massacre—who have established themselves about 70 miles from the city and are collecting around them all the criminals and unruly persons from a large area, and disturbing the peace of the British Protectorate. I have no information which would enable me to answer the last paragraph.

15/12/2022
Caroline Lucas – 2022 Parliamentary Question on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme

The parliamentary question asked by Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)

How many at-risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni in Afghanistan his Department has (a) assessed as eligible for and (b) resettled under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme pathway 3 since 6 January 2022.

Sam Tarry (Ilford South) (Lab)

What humanitarian support his Department is providing to Afghan people (a) in and (b) fleeing Afghanistan.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly)

The UK has already resettled more than 6,300 people through various resettlement schemes. In the first phase of the Afghan resettlement scheme pathway 3, we will offer up to 1,500 places. We have received 11,400 expressions of interest and we are working through those quickly. We have disbursed £228 million since April 2022, on top of £286 million in aid for Afghanistan last financial year.

Caroline Lucas

The Foreign Secretary says that he is working quickly, yet we know that zero Afghans have been resettled under the ACRS. No wonder yesterday the Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), admitted that we must do better when confronted with the staggering delay. I am in touch with Chevening alumni, for example, who have been living in fear of their lives for more than 16 months now. By the Government’s own admission, pathway 3 in its first year will help only 400 applicants and their families—a tiny number—out of more than 11,000. Will the Foreign Secretary and the Home Office urgently supercharge the scheme, increase the number of people working on it in the Department and, crucially, allow the 20,000 people Ministers say they want to help over five years to come now? They cannot wait for another four or five years; they are in fear of their lives now.

James Cleverly

I have to correct the hon. Lady. She says that we have not made any resettlements under the ACRS. As I said in my answer, we have granted indefinite leave to remain to 6,300 eligible people. I think that she was making specific reference to pathway 3, which we are working on, but the House ought to recognise that we have already given indefinite leave to remain to more than 6,000 eligible people.

Sam Tarry

Last year my team and I heard countless harrowing, brutal stories of people and their families being murdered in Afghanistan, often while on the phone to my casework team. My team are still shocked and triggered by that awful experience; by the pictures they saw and the voicemails they heard. The FCDO really has to do a lot more to make sure that more people in Afghanistan do not die at the hands of the Taliban. I do not know whether I am going to correct my friend the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas), but my understanding is that only four Afghans have been resettled under the ACRS. Many of my constituents have lost loved ones, so I want to know just two things from the Foreign Secretary: what support is being offered to Afghan refugees currently stuck in Pakistan, and what will he be doing to speak to Home Office colleagues and ensure that this absolute mess of resettling people is sorted out promptly?

James Cleverly

Yet again, I have to correct the hon. Gentleman. He said that only four people had been settled under the ACRS. I say again, for the third time, that around 6,300 eligible people have been granted indefinite leave to remain under the referral pathways of the ACRS. We will of course continue to work both across HMG and with our international partners to resettle at-risk Afghans, and will particularly look at the individuals who have been supportive of the UK, and those particularly at risk because they are women, academics or members of the judiciary.

15/12/2022
Tommy Sheppard – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Israel and Palestine

The parliamentary question asked by Tommy Sheppard, the SNP MP for Edinburgh East, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East) (SNP)

What recent assessment he has made of Israel’s compliance with its obligations under international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (David Rutley)

As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights and all matters relating to the occupation. That includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by their obligations under international law. We are concerned by instability on the west bank and call on all sides to work together to urgently de-escalate the situation.

Tommy Sheppard

In the past year, we have had three compelling reports, produced by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Israeli organisation B’Tselem. All of them accuse the Israeli authorities of committing the crime of apartheid. We have had plans published recently to effectively annex the west bank into Israel, and we now have the appointment of violently racist Ministers into the Israeli Government. Is it not time to step up the diplomatic pressure on Israel to ensure that it abides by international law and upholds the rights of Palestinians?

David Rutley

First, we do not recognise the terminology about apartheid. Any judgment on serious crimes under international law is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for Governments or non-judicial bodies. We do work closely with the Israeli Government. We condemn any incidents of violence by settlers against the Palestinians.

15/12/2022
Anna McMorrin – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Iran

The parliamentary question asked by Anna McMorrin, the Labour MP for Cardiff North, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Anna McMorrin (Cardiff North) (Lab)

What recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Iran.

John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle destabilising activities by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly)

These protests in Iran are a watershed moment. After years of repression, the Iranian people have clearly had enough. They are standing up to the authoritarian regime under which they live. Sadly, the regime has responded in the only way it knows: with violence. The UK is committed to holding Iran to account, including with more than 300 sanctions—including the sanctioning of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety. We will continue to work with partners to challenge the regime’s aggression at home and its disruptive behaviour in the region.

Anna McMorrin

I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. Iranians are being hanged from cranes with black bags over their heads and their hands and feet bound while Iranian weapons are being used to perpetrate Putin’s illegal war murdering Ukrainians. Will the Secretary of State join me in condemning those human rights violations and tell me exactly what sanctions he will bring forward against Raisi’s abhorrent regime?

James Cleverly

I personally and the UK Government have regularly condemned the abuses in Iran. Of course, I recognise that that tone is reflected right across the House. We have sanctioned the morality police; we have sanctioned the Iranian judges whom we know to be involved in those secret trials. We will continue to work with our international partners, and directly, to sanction the members of the Iranian regime who continue to abuse the human rights of the people within that country.

John Spellar

The Minister has rightly identified that the clerical fascist regime in Tehran is increasingly using violence and terror in trying to crush the popular protests there, while also destabilising the region through proxies, as well as further afield. He knows that a vital underpinning of this dreadful regime’s activities is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He mentioned working with other parties; he knows that the United States has already taken action to proscribe the IRGC. Will that finally persuade him to sanction to the IRGC?

James Cleverly

We already sanction the IRGC in its entirety. We will continue to work closely with our friends in the international community to prevent the point that the right hon. Gentleman raises: the exporting of attack drones and other munitions to Russia, which are then being used by Vladimir Putin’s troops to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. We will continue to sanction individuals, and as I say, the IRGC is already sanctioned in its entirety.

Mr Speaker

I call the shadow Minister.

Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) (Lab)

The Metropolitan police have warned about threats described as an “imminent, credible risk” to life against British-Iranian journalists in the United Kingdom. The Iranian regime has also threatened BBC Persian journalists. I ask the Foreign Secretary again to set out what further targeted sanctions the Government will be taking against the whole Iranian regime and, more importantly, to ensure that the Government act against any threats to individuals in the United Kingdom.

James Cleverly

The hon. Gentleman will understand that it is counterproductive to detail what future sanctions designations might be brought in—we want to ensure that the targets of those sanctions do not in any way try to evade the sanctions before they are brought in. The UK remains absolutely determined to ensure that Iran does not intimidate people within this country. We will always stand up to aggression from foreign nations. We will absolutely not tolerate threats, particularly towards journalists who are highlighting what is going on in Iran, or indeed towards any other individual living in the UK. On 11 November, I summoned the Iranian chargé d’affaires to highlight the UK’s position on this; and, working with our colleagues in the Home Office, we ensured that the Iranian journalists who were under threat according to our information were protected by the British police.

15/12/2022
Chris Bryant – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Human Rights and Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia

The parliamentary question asked by Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)

Whether he has made recent representations to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on (a) the use of the death penalty and (b) potential human rights violations in that country.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (David Rutley)

Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty and restrictions on freedom of expression. We strongly oppose the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. We regularly raise our concerns with the Saudi authorities and will continue to do so. The Minister for the Middle East raised the death penalty and freedom of expression with the Saudi ambassador on 24 November.

Chris Bryant

I am afraid that recently it feels as if the Government are frightened of saying boo to Saudi Arabia on human rights abuses. The Minister himself, only a few days ago, said that Hussein Abo al-Kheir had been abhorrently tortured by Saudi authorities. He withdrew the remark; as I understand it, the Saudi authorities asked the Foreign Office to withdraw that remark. The truth is that Hussein Abo al-Kheir has been tortured and he has been on death row since 2015. The Saudi Government executed 81 people on one day earlier this year and are intending to execute a large number more later this year. They have already reneged on all of their promises on ending the death penalty for non-violent crimes. Will the Minister please go back to Saudi Arabia and make it clear that this country abhors torture and the death penalty?

David Rutley

I corrected my answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) to clarify that those were allegations of torture, as I underline again today. That is consistent with the line I used in my opening remarks on this issue in the urgent question on 28 November. I also contacted the right hon. Gentleman to ensure that he was aware of the correction. Notwithstanding that, of course it is vital that we continue to raise these issues, as Lord Ahmad has done and will continue to do.

Mr Speaker

We come now to the SNP spokesperson.

Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) (SNP)

I am sure the Minister would agree that, in moving away from any possible reliance on Russian energy supplies, the UK should not simply choose further dependency on a different authoritarian regime. It has been reported that the former Chancellor, the right hon. Member for Spelthorne (Kwasi Kwarteng), when he was Business Secretary, held undisclosed meetings with Saudi Arabian firms. Will the Minister tell us what was discussed—and if he cannot, why can he not?

David Rutley

I do not recognise those conversations that the hon. Gentleman refers to, but clearly the important thing is that we have access to the energy we need with allies that we trust and, over time, build our own energy security as well.

15/12/2022
Hilary Benn – 2022 Parliamentary Question on the Northern Ireland Protocol

The parliamentary question asked by Hilary Benn, the Labour MP for Leeds Central, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) (Lab)

What recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)

How many hours his Department has spent on negotiations with (a) EU member states and (b) the European Commission on the Northern Ireland protocol in the last month.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly)

Fixing the Northern Ireland protocol is a top priority for this Government. Since September I have been in regular contact with Vice-President Šefčovič. We last spoke on 1 December and I will be seeing him for further talks this week. My officials have also been working with our counterparts in the EU on a regular basis to try to resolve the issues, which we recognise—and we are impressing this upon them—are causing serious, genuine and damaging friction in relationships between the various communities in Northern Ireland.

Hilary Benn

I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for that answer. It was reported recently that the Prime Minister has assured President Biden that an agreement will be reached with the EU in time for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. We also read that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is on ice while the negotiations continue. Can the Foreign Secretary assure the House that if an agreement with the EU is reached—and we all hope that will happen—the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill will be dropped?

James Cleverly

The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill exists for a reason. The commitment that I made to Maroš Šefčovič in the conversations that I had with him and others was that we would not either artificially accelerate that process or artificially hinder or retard it. We have always said that our preferred option is through negotiations. We speak regularly, the tone is positive, and I think that there is now an understanding that the concerns that we have raised, and that have been raised particularly by the Unionist community in Northern Ireland, are not confected but real, and that any agreement would need to address them.

Ian Paisley

Is it not the case that there has not been one hour of actual negotiations, because the EU has not extended its mandate to allow for any changes whatsoever in the operation of the current protocol? That being the case, does the Foreign Secretary not believe that the EU will smell weakness in this Government if they take their foot off the pedal with the protocol Bill in the other place? I encourage him to press on with the Bill.

James Cleverly

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the UK negotiating team are very conscious of the frustrations, particularly in the Unionist community in Northern Ireland. But we have also made the point to our interlocutors in the EU that, across communities in Northern Ireland, there is a recognition that the protocol is not working, that it needs to be addressed, and that the relationships between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK—of which Northern Ireland is a part—all have to function properly. That is the underpinning of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and that is what we seek to achieve through our negotiations.

Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con)

One needs only to visit the port at Belfast and see the potential for new facilities there to realise the interruption there could be to the vital east-west trade routes that Northern Ireland relies on. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that it is vital that the Government are clear that we do not take anything off the table in getting to an agreement? Even though we want an agreement, we still need all the options to be on the table, to ensure that we get what we need for the United Kingdom.

James Cleverly

The United Kingdom’s position has been consistent. We recognise that the way the protocol is working is undermining community cohesion in Northern Ireland and disrupting business flows, particularly east-west between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. These issues have to be addressed. That is, I think, something that the EU negotiating team understand, and we will continue negotiating in good faith. However, as I say, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill exists for a reason, and we want to ensure that we get a good working resolution that is sustainable for all the communities in Northern Ireland.

Mr Speaker

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

Mr David Lammy (Tottenham) (Lab)

For 18 months we have been at an impasse on the Northern Ireland protocol. Instead of negotiations, we have had cheap rhetoric and threats to break agreements. With a UK Government showing determination and diplomatic skill, and an EU willing to be flexible, these problems would be easily resolvable. Is the real problem that the Prime Minister is in the pocket of the European Research Group, too weak to stand up to his Back Benchers, and putting his party before Northern Ireland?

James Cleverly

The right hon. Gentleman needs to keep up. We have had very well-tempered negotiations between the UK and EU negotiators. He will find in our public reporting of those negotiations that there has been a high degree of mutual respect. He says that there is an easy resolution. If he believes that, all I would say is that we are waiting to hear it. If it were easy, it would have been done already.

Mr Speaker

Let us hear from the SNP spokesperson.

Alyn Smith (Stirling) (SNP)

I say to the Foreign Secretary that if politics goes wrong for him, he has a great career in stand-up ahead of him.

This discussion is not happening in a vacuum. The Foreign Secretary will be aware of a poll in The Irish Times yesterday that showed that 54% of the people of Northern Ireland are in favour of EU membership. I want to see a negotiated outcome over the protocol; we all do. There are things with the protocol that need to be addressed, and we all agree on that, but the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is not the way to do that. Surely he must recognise that it is the biggest block to progress in these talks, and that now is the time to scrap it.

James Cleverly

I am the one who has been in the conversations with the EU. I know that it does not particularly like the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, but, nevertheless, the conversations that I have had with my direct interlocuters and that our officials have been having with their opposite numbers in the EU system have been progressing. As I have said, there are still a number of serious issues that need to be resolved, but we are working in good faith. The Bill exists for a reason and it is important that it is there.

I welcome the hon. Gentleman highlighting the fact that there is pretty much universal agreement now that the protocol needs to be changed, because that is what is driving an increased degree of community tension and disruption in Northern Ireland.

While I am on my feet, let me welcome the hon. Gentleman resuming his place.

15/12/2022
Chris Elmore – 2022 Parliamentary Question on War Crimes in Ukraine

The parliamentary question asked by Chris Elmore, the Labour MP for Ogmore, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)

What diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure that perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine are held to account.

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)

What diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure (a) prosecution of and (b) effective sanctions against perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly)

The UK has led diplomatic efforts to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court. With the US and EU, we established the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group. We are working closely with our international partners to ensure that our sanctions are effective, and that those who are responsible for atrocities and breaches of international humanitarian law, at whatever level, are ultimately held accountable for their actions.

Chris Elmore

I thank the Foreign Secretary for his answer. In her recent visit to Parliament, the first lady of Ukraine highlighted that Russian soldiers had carried out sexual violence, including rape, against Ukrainian women with the consent of their commanders. As the Foreign Secretary will be aware, under UN international law the use of rape in combat is a war crime. Will he set out specifically what he will be doing on the diplomatic stage to ensure that when the war is over, or indeed before then, the soldiers who committed those crimes and the officers who authorised those disgusting and heinous rapes are dealt with in the International Criminal Court?

James Cleverly

The hon. Gentleman raises an incredibly important point. I had the privilege of speaking to the first lady at the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative conference that we hosted in London recently. I can inform him and the House that this morning we designated 12 more Russian military officers who were in command of Russian troops when atrocities took place. We work closely with the Ukrainian chief prosecutor, the International Criminal Court and our international allies to ensure there is an accountability framework that is effective, from the people on the ground who are perpetrating these crimes directly, to the officers who are ordering them to do that, right up to and including Vladimir Putin himself, who is ultimately responsible for these vile acts, which have taken place because of his invasion of Ukraine.

Andrew Selous

Does the Foreign Secretary agree that prosecutions and sanctions for atrocities in Ukraine should also be extended to those in Russia who perpetrate violence against women and girls, such as the Russian police officer Ivan Ryabov, who tortured courageous Russian women for speaking out against the brutality done in their name but against their will in Ukraine?

James Cleverly

My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. There are many, many Russians who are deeply opposed to the invasion that Putin initiated against Ukraine. Their bravery is legion. We have sanctioned more than 1,200 Russians and more than 120 entities as a direct result of Putin’s invasion. I will make note of the name he raised. He and I have discussed this previously, and he will understand that we do not comment on specific designations that might have been brought about.

Mr Speaker

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

Mr David Lammy (Tottenham) (Lab)

Labour has been calling for a special tribunal to prosecute Putin personally since March. This is a necessary part of securing justice for the victims of Putin’s war crime, and would add to the legal basis for confiscating frozen Russian assets. The EU has already set out a plan to shift frozen assets into a fund to help rebuild Ukraine, and Canada has already passed laws to do that. Why are the Government not doing the same?

James Cleverly

The Government and I have committed to exploring ways of ensuring that those individuals who supported Vladimir Putin—the kleptocrats and oligarchs who have helped to fund this aggression against Ukraine—are not just sanctioned; ultimately, we will look at legally robust mechanisms to seize assets as part of the reparations, rebuilding and reconstruction phase. Of course, we work closely with the Canadian authorities. Canada has a similar legal system to ours, for obvious reasons, and we will explore what it has done to see what we can learn to ensure that whatever vehicle we put in place has the desired effect and is robust.

15/12/2022