Tag: 2023

Catherine West – 2023 Speech on the UK Visit of Governor of Xinjiang

The speech made by Catherine West, the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for bringing this urgent question to the House. The issue of Xinjiang has been debated in both Chambers of this Parliament, and following a Back-Bench motion, Members of this House voted that genocide had occurred in this area of China.

In September last year, the UN high commissioner for human rights said that the treatment of the Uyghurs may constitute crimes against humanity, and this House has made clear its view that the treatment of the Uyghurs amounts to genocide. It is therefore deeply worrying to learn of the planned visit to the UK of the governor of the very province in which these outrageous and systemic acts have taken place. Has the Minister made an assessment of the relationship between Chen Quanguo, who is an international pariah, and this particular individual?

I am acutely aware of, and in principle agree with, the general points that the Minister has made about engagement. However, we have to be very robust with regard to human rights. Is the meeting essential to UK-China relations? I do not think it is. I fear that this planned visit to the UK highlights the serious lack of political leadership at the Foreign Office. The Minister knows the views of this House and should have made it clear that this meeting was ill-judged and inappropriate.

When were Ministers first made aware of the planned visit, and did it receive personal approval from the Foreign Secretary? What assessment has been made of the moral injury that this would cause to the Uyghur minority in this country, who have come to the Houses of Parliament to tell us of their suffering? Has this decision been informed by the moral injury that it will cause? Finally, will the invitation to visit the UK now be rescinded? What action will the Foreign Office take as a result of this urgent question?

Leo Docherty

I am grateful for the constructive tone and characteristic interest that the hon. Lady shows. Is this meeting essential? We judge that this might be an opportunity to send a very strong message to someone who is involved in the governance of Xinjiang. That is at the heart of the judgment that was made about this opportunity.

The hon. Lady asked when Ministers were aware. I know that Ministers were aware in the usual, routine way and made a judgment that, on balance, it was useful to endorse the prospect of officials engaging with this individual.

The hon. Lady makes a good point about the risk of moral injury. It is important to say that, with regard to this specific proposition, FCDO officials were keen to invite Uyghur human rights groups in the UK so that they have an opportunity to express their views to this individual as a means of delivering a very strong message of condemnation. That judgment was at the heart of the decision, but she makes a good point about moral injury.

The hon. Lady asked whether the invitation will be rescinded and, of course, it is not an invitation. The FCDO did not invite this individual. Our expectation is that he is travelling on a diplomatic passport. I am grateful to have been able to answer these questions, and I am grateful for her constructive spirit.

February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Business Secretary welcomes record year for services exports [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for International Trade on 10 February 2023.

New figures coincide with Business and Trade Secretary’s visit to Mexico, where she is progressing a modernised UK-Mexico deal and promoting the UK’s accession to CPTPP.
- New ONS statistics show UK services exports reach record highs of almost £400 billion in 2022
- The figures coincide with Business and Trade Secretary’s visit to Mexico, where she is progressing a modern, new UK-Mexico deal to boost UK services exports further, and promoting the UK’s accession to CPTPP
- Badenoch: “This cements the UK’s position as a global services superpower”
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has welcomed new figures showing UK services exports reached record highs, adding that they ‘cement the UK’s position as a global services superpower’.

The trade data released by the Office for National Statistics today (Friday 10th February) shows that UK services exports reached record highs in 2022, totalling £397 billion.

In current prices, it means an increase of 20% compared to 2021, and up 23% on exports in 2018.

The UK is the second biggest services exporter in the world – behind only the US, and the services sector contributes around 80% of the UK’s GDP. Today’s results show the UK is contributing to a growing global sector, with service sectors across the world expected to account for 28% of global trade by 2030 – up from 25% in 2019.

The Business and Trade Secretary welcomed the news on day two of her visit to Mexico, where she is using high level talks with Mexican cabinet counterparts to secure benefits for thousands of UK firms by locking in expansive services provisions as part of a new, modern UK-Mexico trade deal.

Alongside an upgraded bilateral deal, the Business and Trade Secretary is in Mexico to promote the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Mexico is a member.

Joining CPTPP will secure enhanced market access, predictability, and transparency for UK service suppliers who exported £30bn worth of services to CPTPP countries in 2021. Modern trade agreements like CPTPP, that set ambitious rules for trade in services between members, are vital for UK companies looking to maximise opportunities to grow their businesses across both sides of the Pacific.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

These new figures are a trade success story and cement the UK’s position as a global services superpower.

Services are the lifeblood of our economy, employing over 8 in 10 of our workforce. To see services trade reaching these heights is a firm reminder of the resilience of our strong services economy and shows significant progress in our race to export over a trillion pounds of British goods and services a year by 2030.

I’ll be using my talks with Mexican politicians and UK businesses operating in Mexico to make the case for a revamped UK-Mexico trade deal which will significantly increase export opportunities, and boost jobs around the UK.

Latest figures show the UK exports over £1bn worth of services to Mexico, a 30% increase in current prices on the previous year. A more modern, forward looking ‘Mexico 2.0’ deal could boost this even further, unlocking export opportunities for SMEs and the UK’s digital and services industries.

UK businesses who would benefit from modernised services rules between both countries range from British bank HSBC, currently the fifth largest bank in Mexico, to Pearson Education, whose products and services include world-renowned academic qualifications, digital content, assessments and data.
February 10, 2023
Iain Duncan Smith – 2023 Speech on the UK Visit of Governor of Xinjiang

The speech made by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

I find that response from my hon. Friend, for whom I have the highest respect, to be a very weak turn from the Foreign Office. The Uyghur region in north-west China has been the site of severe human rights violations, crimes against humanity and genocide for more than six years. In 2017, satellite imagery confirmed that a network of internment camps had been set up throughout the region. Throughout this time, Erkin Tuniyaz has been responsible for the murderous and repressive policy, alongside its architect, Chen Quango.

Testimony from camp survivors—who are absolutely appalled to hear that a Foreign Office official will meet this individual—and leaked official Chinese Government documents, satellite images and drone footage indicate that the camps are sites of severe mass arbitrary detention and severe human rights abuses, including systematic sexual violence against women, torture and the forced sterilisation of many women. Reports of cultural and religious oppression, mass digital in-person surveillance, forced labour, mass sterilisations and abortions and a system of mass criminalisation and arbitrary detention are also completely documented.

The weak response from the Foreign Office hides something. It is not that it has invited him here, but it has made it clear that when he comes, he will be welcome to see officials. Whether or not the Foreign Office is tough, this is a propaganda coup for the Chinese Government. Governor Tuniyaz has defended the use of mass detention centres and doubled down and expanded their use. During his tenure, more than 1 million Uyghurs and other people from predominantly Muslim minorities have been detained in Xinjiang. A man who declares that nothing is going on is hardly likely to be bothered by a Foreign Office official telling him, “Now, now, you’ve got to stop this.”

I remind my hon. Friend the Minister that in 2021, the House of Commons in this United Kingdom declared for the first time that genocide is taking place against the Uyghurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region of China. Let us compare our response with that of the United States. The UK has sanctioned only three rather junior people. The US has introduced 107 punitive sanctions, five new laws, 11 specific investment bans and 10 sanctions on individuals, including Chen Quanguo and Erkin Tuniyaz. I call on the UK Government to rescind this invitation and sanction Erkin Tuniyaz and Chen Quanguo for their role in this crime against humanity and genocide. The place to deal with these individuals is in a tribunal or court of law, not in the quiet office of a Foreign Office official.

Leo Docherty

I appreciate sincerely the long-standing interest of my right hon. Friend in this issue, and he speaks with great sincerity and power. He draws a comparison with the sanctions regime in the US. The numbers might be different, but that reflects our desire and approach to use these opportunities to deliver a very strong and robust message. It is institutionally the judgment of the FCDO that we are better off not denying ourselves the opportunity to send extremely robust and strong messages of condemnation of the brutality that has been carried out by the Chinese state in Xinjiang. He alluded to that difference of approach, but we are confident in its utility.

My understanding is that, in advance of the suggestion of this meeting, the invitation was extended to human rights groups in the UK to afford them the opportunity to send a very strong message to this individual about their view of repression in Xinjiang. That was at the heart of what was judged to be useful about the prospect of such a meeting.

February 10, 2023
Leo Docherty – 2023 Statement on the UK Visit of Governor of Xinjiang

The statement made by Leo Docherty, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

We understand from the Chinese embassy that the governor of Xinjiang may visit the UK next week. To be very clear, he has not been invited by the UK Government or the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and we have no confirmation that he will, in fact, travel. Our expectation is that he will travel on a diplomatic passport, and therefore he has not yet been granted a visa. If he does visit, I assure this House that under no circumstances will he be dignified with a ministerial meeting.

China’s actions in Xinjiang are abhorrent and we will not legitimise them in any way. However, robust engagement to challenge human rights violations and to stand up for the rights of the oppressed is at the core of the UK’s diplomatic work around the world. We must be prepared to use diplomatic channels to achieve that end, hence officials would be prepared to offer him a meeting. In line with that principle, there is only one reason why such a meeting would take place—to make absolutely clear the UK’s abhorrence of the treatment of the Uyghur people and to say that we will not relent from exposing the horrors to which they are subject. That point needs to be set out clearly to China. It is only right that people responsible for human rights violations are confronted on these issues.

The UK has played a leading role in international efforts to hold China to account on Xinjiang. In 2019, we became the first country to step up to lead a joint statement on China’s actions in Xinjiang at the UN. Since that first statement, which was supported by 23 countries, we have worked tirelessly through our global diplomatic network to broaden the caucus of countries speaking out. Our leadership has sustained pressure on China to change its behaviour and consistently increase the number of countries speaking out. Most recently, our diplomatic effort helped to secure the support of a record 50 countries for a statement on Xinjiang at the UN third committee in October.

We have imposed sanctions on four individuals and one entity in Xinjiang, and have introduced robust measures to tackle forced labour in supply chains. We have consistently raised our concerns at the highest level in Beijing. Let me be absolutely clear that we will continue to emphasise at all levels that the world is watching what China’s authorities say and do in Xinjiang. They cannot hide their abuses. The UK and our allies will not turn away.

February 10, 2023
Liz Twist – 2023 Parliamentary Question on the Parliamentary Scrutiny of New Free Trade Agreements

The parliamentary question asked by Liz Twist, the Labour MP for Blaydon, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

Liz Twist (Blaydon) (Lab)

What steps she is taking to support effective parliamentary scrutiny of new free trade agreements.

The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Nigel Huddleston)

The Government are committed to transparency and effective scrutiny in our trade agenda, going beyond the statutory framework set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. That includes providing extensive information prior to the commencement of talks on free trade agreements, as well as regular updates to Parliament during negotiations. At the end of negotiations, we have committed to additional parliamentary scrutiny time, as well as to publishing further information such as the advice of the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission.

Liz Twist

Over the last year, the Government’s former Environment Secretary, the right hon. Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice), has labelled the Government free trade agreements a failure, and the Prime Minister has called them one-sided. Is such criticism the reason the Government spend so much time avoiding any real detailed scrutiny of these trade agreements?

Nigel Huddleston

I respectfully disagree with the hon. Lady’s characterisation that there is insufficient scrutiny, and I respectfully disagree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice), who made some comments earlier this year. Last time I answered this question, you quite rightly had a go at me, Mr Speaker, because I gave a long list of examples of extensive scrutiny on our free trade agreements. I will spare the House by not repeating it , but I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave previously.

February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Addiction crackdown sees huge rise in prisoners getting clean [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 10 February 2023.

Thousands of prisoners are getting clean thanks to a doubling of drug-free wings in jails as the government’s war on addiction steps up a gear.
- thousands of prisoners join drug-free wings as war on addiction ramps up
- up to 100 special blocks in prisons by 2025 alongside abstinence-based units
- new wings and tough security to clean up prisons and cut crime
New Incentivised Substance Free Living Units are now up and running in 45 prisons across England and Wales – getting addicts off illicit drugs and reducing their reliance on synthetic opiates like methadone.

Figures show around half of prisoners are addicted to drugs, while crack and heroin addicts account for two-thirds of shoplifting offences and half of burglaries, blighting communities up and down the country.

Yet offenders who are supported to get off drugs for good are 19 percentage points less likely to slip back into a life of crime.

The new wings will make sure prisons are places where criminals get – and stay – clean while they pay their debt to society, instead of languishing on drug substitutes like methadone which can hinder their rehabilitation.

Today’s news, alongside tough new security including X-ray body scanners, forms a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to break the cycle of addiction and re-offending which costs the tax-payer £19 billion a year.

Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Dominic Raab, said:

We are clamping down on drugs behind bars with tough new security, but we know reducing supply is not enough to break the cycle of addiction and offending.

Our new drug-free units and drug recovery wings will help prisoners tackle their addictions, including to opiate substitutes like methadone, in turn cutting their risk of reoffending and creating safer streets.

The government is also investing in up to 18 drug recovery wings where prisoners can go through 6 months of intensive abstinence-based treatment to break their reliance on methadone as well as dangerous substances.

On the new incentivised units, offenders will tackle their addictions through substance misuse courses and regular drug testing

In exchange, prisoners who are making progress towards getting clean receive extra time out of cell for education and work opportunities and, once they’ve turned their back on drugs for good, including substitutes like methadone, the prospect of being transferred to a drug recovery wing for 6 months of intensive, fully abstinence-based treatment.
February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Former Lioness Jill Scott opens hometown football pitch named in her honour [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 10 February 2023.

Former Lioness Jill Scott has opened the first of 23 new grassroots football facilities named after the Euro 2022 winning squad.
- The Government, the FA and the Premier League’s Football Foundation has opened the first of 23 sites to honour winning Lionesses of EURO 2022
- Naming comes as part of Government commitment to improve access to sport for women and girls, and build on the Lionesses’ inspirational legacy
- UK-wide £300 million capital investment in grassroots facilities will support talent of the future and represents biggest ever commitment to delivering equal access for women and girls playing football
The pitches, being built in or around the hometowns of the winning players are funded by the government, the FA and the Premier League’s Football Foundation. It will inspire the next generation of female stars with top class facilities.

The ‘Jill Scott Pitch’ was unveiled in a ceremony at the Perth Green Community Centre in Jarrow alongside coaches and members of the local community who will benefit from the 3G pitch. The new floodlit facility is just five miles from Jill’s hometown of Sunderland and will support the growth of female, disability and recreational football in the local area.

Following their victory – the first English football team to win a major trophy since 1966 – the Government, Premier League and the Football Association’s Football Foundation committed to naming grassroots facilities in honour of the squad. The site namings form part of national efforts to raise the profile of women’s football at the elite level and increase access and participation for women and girls at the grassroots level.

This site is one of many across the UK to have benefited from the Government’s UK-wide £300 million four-year capital investment into grassroots multi-sports facilities.

The Football Foundation is delivering outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, and transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.

Fifty per cent of the investment is going directly to the most deprived areas across the UK and the benefits will be felt beyond football: by 2025, 40 per cent of Football Foundation investment will go to projects which host at least one additional sport such as rugby, cricket, netball and basketball.

Jill Scott, MBE said:

“It’s an absolute honour to have a site that will be used by so many people in the local community named after me in the place I used to play!

“Winning the Women’s EUROS was incredibly special and I hope, thanks to this recognition and funding from The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, this pitch will benefit Lionesses of the future.“

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

“I’m delighted we are honouring Jill and the entire 23 woman squad as part of our £300 million investment in grassroots multi-sport pitches.

“The Lionesses thrilled the nation with their historic Euros victory, delivering the nation’s first major tournament win in more than 50 years.

“They have inspired a generation of women and girls to believe they too can achieve their dreams.”

The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, Sue Campbell, said:

“The England women’s team changed the landscape for the women’s and girls’ game when they lifted the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 trophy last year. The success of the team wasn’t just about lifting the trophy, it was also about changing the path for women and girls who want to or currently play football up and down the country.

“By 2024 The FA want to see 5,000 good-quality pitches added to the current number. With the Football Foundation, we are prioritising the areas and communities where these new pitches are most needed. This project allows us to provide more opportunities for people to play football across the region. Jill Scott has had an incredible career and no doubt inspired many people in her hometown to take up the game, so I’m sure the ‘Jill Scott pitch’ will be extremely popular.”

Premier League Head of Community Nick Perchard said:

“The Premier League is committed to developing the game at all levels and we are investing more than ever before into women’s and girls’ football, from the WSL to grassroots.

“This includes work in partnership with The FA to develop pathways for young players, improving facilities and developing greater workforce pathways for women and girls.

“We are delighted to see our funding going towards new pitches honouring the Lionesses, bringing together state-of-the-art facilities with inspirational role models to get more girls playing the game.”

Robert Sullivan, CEO of The Football Foundation said:

“We are committed to improving the experience of playing football for everyone and thanks to investment from The Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is directing more funding into projects all of which will offer equal access to play for women and girls.

“At the end of the last academic year there were over 100,000 more girls playing football and since the Lionesses’ glory last summer we are seeing even more girls are lacing up their boots.

“Over 8,500 female football teams are playing at sites that have received funding from the Football Foundation, whether that be for new goalposts, improved grass pitches or brand-new changing pavilions and 3G pitches. But we know there is more to do if we’re going to meet this rising demand, which is why we are here today with Jill to make that commitment – and inspire all those who saw their win to get down to their local pitch.”

To ensure women and girls can benefit from these facilities, and help create a lasting legacy, all sites in the multisport grassroots programme must provide access based on the needs of the local women’s and girls’ teams. The move is also designed to support the Football Association’s ambition for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 to create 500,000 extra opportunities for women and girls to play football.

The Government’s grassroots multi-sport pitches programme has successfully delivered more than £43 million of funding across the UK last year, with an additional £168 million to be invested into facilities in England between 2022 and 2025 – on top of an existing and continuing £18m annual commitment.

The Government is a major supporter of women’s football and is working to improve access and build on its commercial success for the long term. It is working alongside The FA to achieve the ambition of equal access to football for girls in 90 per cent of schools by 2024. The Department for Education’s £320 million PE and School Sports Premium School Sport and Activity Action Plan will help more girls to take part in sport and physical activity.
February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Energy companies halt forced installation of prepayment meters [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 10 February 2023.

Energy suppliers agree to stop forcing vulnerable households onto prepayment meters following calls from the Energy Secretary.

Following Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps’ intervention, all energy suppliers have now committed to ending the forced installation of prepayment meters in vulnerable customers’ homes.

After concerns were raised about the sharp rise in companies seeking warrants to enter people’s homes to forcibly install prepayment meters, Mr Shapps wrote to energy bosses insisting they revise their practices and improve their action to support vulnerable households, to make sure prepayment meters being installed is a genuine last resort. As part of this, he asked all suppliers to set out what they are doing to support their customers, how many warrants they have each sought, and plans to redress any wrongdoing.

It follows the Energy Security Secretary launching a crackdown on the mistreatment of customers last month, where he charged the Energy Minister with meeting suppliers to explain their actions and called on magistrates to improve their scrutiny of the warrants crossing their desk. Just this week, Lord Justice Edis issued directions to magistrates courts to stop approving warrants to force-fit prepayment meters grinding the practice to a firm halt.

However, given the failure of the energy regulator to identify recent unacceptable behaviour such as that of British Gas – or other significant shortcomings – he told Ofgem to improve their oversight of these companies and toughen up on suppliers. Now in line with the Energy Security Secretary’s request, Ofgem has committed to speaking to consumers rather than just suppliers about their experiences.

This week the Energy Security Secretary set suppliers a deadline to urgently report back on remedial action for customers who faced wrongful installations.

All suppliers responded by the Energy Security Secretary’s deadline, committing to end the practice which breaches rules in place to protect vulnerable households, and setting out their plans for identifying those that may have had meters wrongfully installed. However, while several set out redress that would be provided to customers in this instance – such as providing compensation, or replacement of a prepayment meter with a credit meter – a number failed to address the question.

The Energy Security Secretary has therefore found most suppliers are falling short on correcting their ways and said halting forced installation is ‘only the beginning’ of fixing the ‘abhorrent’ practice of forcibly fitting prepayment meters into vulnerable customers’ homes.

He said he will continue to stand up for vulnerable consumers who have had their homes invaded, and to ensure that this cannot happen in future. However, he is still pushing suppliers to make good on failures and was angered letters back to him only offered ‘half the picture’ as details on how they’ll fix wrongdoings were missing from several replies.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

People will have understandably been shocked and appalled at how vulnerable people’s homes have been invaded and prepayment meters installed against their wishes – and suppliers are only at the beginning of correcting this abhorrent behaviour.

Since those reports were published, I have demanded answers from suppliers, and Ofgem: all suppliers are now halting forced installations, magistrates are no longer signing off warrant applications and Ofgem are upping their game when it comes to their reviews.

But I am angered by the fact some have so freely moved vulnerable customers onto prepayment meters, without a proper plan to take remedial action where there has been a breach of the rules. So, I have only received half the picture as it still doesn’t include enough action to offer redress to those who have been so appallingly treated.

This is simply not good enough and absolutely needs to be addressed by Ofgem’s review – I want to see plans from suppliers actually acted upon – and customers given the service they have a right to expect.

Following the Times investigation, British Gas boss Chris O’Shea was asked to meet the Energy Minister and told to take urgent steps to repair the damage done to their reputation and urgently outline the role he will personally take to fix these cultural issues.

He was also told that vulnerable, mistreated customers need to be identified and redress provided, with the Energy Security Secretary monitoring matters extremely closely to make sure this happens.

Mr Shapps is today sharing the responses with energy regulator, Ofgem, who are currently carrying out a review into the use of prepayment meters – telling them that what he has seen so far simply isn’t good enough.

He’s called on them to set up a new customer reporting system for households to pass on their own stories of how they are being treated – especially those who are vulnerable – and not just rely on energy firm bosses to share information. The regulator has confirmed they will look at doing this such as engaging more with charities and other groups that represent consumers.

Mr Shapps said he will be keeping a watchful eye on the activities of suppliers to make sure this doesn’t happen again – starting with Ofgem changing the way they conduct their reviews so they never again have the wool pulled over their eyes.

February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Minister for the Indo-Pacific visits Brunei and Thailand with a focus on trade, security and science [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 February 2023.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, has visited Brunei and Thailand this week, with talks focusing on trade, security and science.
- Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan visited Brunei and Thailand this week
- Brunei leg covered bilateral meetings and UK-Brunei cooperation in biodiversity research
- Talks in Thailand on UK’s Indo-Pacific ties and regional security issues
As the UK seeks to deepen its ties with countries across Southeast Asia, Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan spent the week in Brunei and Thailand to build closer links on trade, security and science.

In Bangkok, the Minister hosted humanitarian groups for discussions about the situation in neighbouring Myanmar. The crisis has caused hundreds of thousands of victims to be displaced, including over the border into Thailand, fleeing the military junta’s violence.

The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors with long-established programmes in the southeast of Myanmar and along the Thai border, supporting refugees with healthcare, shelter and sanitation.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

As two key members of ASEAN, Brunei and Thailand are vital partners for the UK as we deepen our ties across Southeast Asia.

From trade and tech to science and security, we are determined to do more together, reaping the benefits at home and across the region”.

While in the Thai capital, the Minister also met her counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Dr Vijavat Isarabhakdi. Topics covered pressing regional and global issues.

Thailand is an essential partner for the UK, with 2-way trade standing at over £5 billion, with more than 5,000 UK businesses exporting to Thailand, benefiting both countries. The Government also recently signed a new partnership with Thailand to share expertise of genome sequencing, collaborate in research and education, and help prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases.

Earlier in the week, the Minister was in Brunei for the UK-Brunei Strategic Dialogue alongside Second Foreign Minister Dato Erywan. The Minister was also granted an audience with His Majesty the Sultan.

The Minister saw work to conserve Brunei’s tropical rainforests in action with a visit to the Kuala Belalong Field Centre, established during a joint expedition of the UK’s Royal Geographical Society and the University of Brunei Darussalam. During the visit the Minister met British researchers working side-by-side with their Bruneian counterparts to study and conserve the rainforest’s diverse wildlife.

The Indo-Pacific is home to likeminded partners with whom the UK shares fundamental beliefs in peace and democracy as well as many of the world’s fastest-growing economies. The region is critical to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to economic growth and building prosperity, with a stronger economy at home forming the foundation of the UK’s strength abroad.
February 10, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : No amount of disinformation can rewrite Russia’s lies and deceit – UK delegation to the OSCE [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 February 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown says Russia has waged a campaign of disinformation throughout the build up to their illegal invasion and in the months since.

Thank you, Mr Chair. On Monday, a Moscow court sentenced Russian journalist Veronika Belotserkovskaya in absentia to nine years in prison for spreading supposed “fakes” about the Russian army’s actions in Ukraine.  Therefore our statement will focus on Russian disinformation. On the distractions and lies Russia sought to proliferate in the build up to its illegal invasion and in the months since.

Ms Belotserkovskaya was convicted for her reporting of human rights abuses by the Russian armed forces against civilians, in Bucha and Mariupol.

Russia’s persecution of journalists for reporting on the war contradicts the 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Safety of Journalists. This is a commitment that all participating States have freely signed up to in order to provide a safe, enabling environment for journalists, ensuring we fully comply with international human rights law and OSCE Commitments.  Ms Belotserkovskaya’s sentencing is just the latest in a series of Russian attempts to suppress the truth. When the Russian state punishes journalists who seek out the truth, it ceases to have any grasp of reality.

A year ago, on the 20th January, in this very room, the Russian Delegation claimed that “the myth of Russia’s alleged ‘imminent invasion’ has been hyped up”.

On the 3 February our colleagues stated that the West was “speculating obsessively about an alleged impending Russian invasion” which were “only unsubstantiated conjectures”. On the 10th February, they said such claims were ‘mythical’.

On the 17 February our colleagues said the West had “spread fake information and distorted the real state of affairs”. Russia, in contrast, “would keep on calling for effective dialogue” as “conflict in eastern Ukraine can and must be stopped”.

On the 21 February, they stressed that “the key to lasting peace, the restoration of civil accord in Ukraine and the defusing of the tension around this country lies in the implementation of the Minsk agreements in good faith”.

That very evening the Russian Federation contradicted itself in recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as so-called “independent states”, thereby abandoning the same Minsk agreements they had, just hours ago, claimed were the key to peace.

And on 24 February, having denied, week in, week out, their true intentions, Russia launched its horrific invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory – a fellow participating State of the OSCE. Contravening the Helsinki Final Act and trampling on the foundational commitments of this organisation.

Mr Chair, Russia waged a campaign of disinformation throughout the build up to their illegal invasion.  A campaign that they persist in pursuing to this day. This campaign of disinformation is recorded in the archives for posterity. No amount of disinformation can rewrite Russia’s lies and deceit.

Nor can they silence the international community, as they have tried to silence their own country. Investigations by ODIHR, the Moscow Mechanism and the UN following the invasion attest to the Kremlin’s continued failure to conceal its cruelty.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine’s October 2022 report details just some of the horrors of Russia’s invasion. Civilians shot at while fleeing Russian armed forces; summary executions, torture and sexual violence in areas under temporary Russian control. The list goes on and on. There is no doubt as to Russia’s culpability for atrocities and human rights violations carried out in Ukraine. We will hold perpetrators to account for the atrocities and war crimes they have committed. The truth will out.

Mr Chair, in the face of a concerted Russian disinformation campaign, one thing is certain. The United Kingdom will continue support those seeking the truth. President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries. Our commitments announced during the visit represent a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, ensuring our Ukrainian friends have the support they need to defend their territorial integrity, in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion, for as long as it takes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

February 10, 2023