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Tag: Andrew Mitchell

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

    Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, in the House of Commons on 29 November 2024.

    I want to make three brief points. First, I have completely changed by mind on this subject since I entered the House during the last century, because I have sat in my advice surgery with tears pouring down my face listening to constituents who have set out so clearly, speaking with such emotion, about how their mother, brother, father or child had died in great pain and great indignity.

    I strongly support the Bill, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater) on the excellent way in which she has presented it. I believe that we should give our constituents—our fellow citizens—this choice. I want this choice for my constituents; I want it for those whom I love; and I want it, perhaps one day, for myself.

    Dr Scott Arthur (Edinburgh South West) (Lab)

    Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

    Mr Mitchell

    I will not, I am afraid. The current law forces people to plan their deaths in secret. Their bodies are found by their loved ones. Often, they die in the most horrific circumstances. They have no chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. It is devastating for their families. The former Health Secretary commissioned the Office for National Statistics to try to find out how many people who committed suicide every year were dying people. The figure was between 300 and 650.

    Secondly, in our democracy, the Commons must make this decision. Only we, elected by our constituents, have the legitimacy to do this. It is not the DPP, the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, doctors or even unelected Members of the House of Lords—this House of Commons must make this decision. Let us be clear that all of us on both sides of the debate strongly support an increase in the quality and extent of palliative care. For me, the debate is about extending choice, in very narrow and heavily regulated circumstances under the Bill, as the hon. Lady so clearly set out—the choice not to be forced to end your life in pain and indignity. No element in the Bill talks about intolerable suffering. Many believe that the Bill is too narrowly drawn. I stand by the hon. Lady’s drafting. We should remember that in Oregon there has been no serious attempt to change or amend the law.

    I had the privilege of speaking to an NHS consultant last year, the day before she headed to Dignitas. She said, “I love my country, but I object very strongly to my country forcing me to make this choice, and to having to travel unaccompanied to a foreign country to die.” The status quo is cruel and dangerous. People caught up in these circumstances have no transparency; there is no regulation, safeguards or oversight. The Bill contains a whole series of safeguards that are not present at the moment.

    Thirdly, we are deciding today on a principle. If the Bill is voted down on Second Reading, that will be the end of the matter for many years, and we will do that in the knowledge that Scotland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and many other countries are likely to bring in legislation like this. There are 300 million people in 30 jurisdictions who have secured this ability to choose. There will be numerous safeguards. There will not be a slippery slope unless this Parliament agrees to there being one. If we agree to a Second Reading today it is, in my judgment, inconceivable that the Government Front Bench will not ensure we have the proper time to scrutinise the Bill.

    This Bill goes with the grain of our constituents’ views—about 75%, according to the most recent polling. There is an opportunity and a chance, as the hon. Member for Spen Valley has set out, to consider in detail these matters ahead of Third Reading. As drafted, the Bill seems to me a very modest and controlled proposal. Let us not forget this: Oregon shows us that fewer people take these steps once they know they have this choice as a back-up.

    I end with something I have never forgotten. Some years ago, I was listening in a debate to a young man who had recently lost his father. He had visited his father and seen him in great pain and indignity. He had seen him three days before he died. In the end his father put a bag over his head and used his dressing-gown cord to hang himself. That young man said to all of us: “If you are ever in this position, let’s hope that God will help you, because they certainly won’t.” Today, this House has the opportunity to ensure that they will.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on Foreign Affairs and Defence

    Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on Foreign Affairs and Defence

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 18 July 2024.

    Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and welcome to the Chair.

    May I warmly congratulate the Defence Secretary on his new role, and strongly endorse the comments he made about Britain’s armed forces? My own regiment has recently been on the frontline in Estonia, and I want to strongly endorse the words he used. I also endorse the advice he gave to new Members sitting on these green Benches. I first sat on these green Benches—on the Government side—37 years ago, and I strongly agree with what he said. I feel that sense of honour and privilege every day in this House.

    I had hoped to start by welcoming the Foreign Secretary to his place. I wanted to wish him well in discharging the immense responsibilities of the office he now holds. I have to say that I was dismayed to hear the Foreign Secretary answer questions on the “Today” programme this morning that should more properly have been answered in this House—a view that I believe Mr Speaker shares. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that the Foreign Secretary will be very well served by the outstanding civil servants at the Foreign Office. I want to express my gratitude to our ambassadors and high commissioners around the world. On overseas visits throughout my tenure, I was superbly served and looked after. I also want to thank the outstanding young officials who worked in my private office.

    I should like to pay a special tribute to my noble Friend Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton. He demonstrated clear strategic thinking about how British foreign policy needed to adapt to the world as it is today and injected real energy into British diplomacy. I hope the whole House will acknowledge that to persuade a former Prime Minister to serve as Foreign Secretary was a real benefit to our country. It was also a pleasure to serve alongside the former Members for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Macclesfield, who I am very sorry are no longer sitting alongside me on the Front Bench. They were both superb Ministers, who worked diligently at the Foreign Office.

    I cannot recall a more perilous period in international affairs. I entered the House of Commons just two years before the momentous fall of the Berlin wall, which precipitated the demise of the Soviet Union and the consequent end of the cold war. It is difficult to overstate, having lived with the terrifying spectre of nuclear confrontation, the collective relief we all felt. Yet the world is once again in the grip of a galloping escalation of tensions and dangers, where the international institutions created on the heels of the second world war to defend our values and protect mankind are being undermined, the narrow nationalism that so disfigured our continent is once again rearing its destructive head, and despots and dictators increasingly ride roughshod over democratic freedoms and the rules-based order.

    Putin’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine has brought war once again to the European continent. The Israel-Gaza conflict is devastating and risks regional conflagration. Poverty and debt stalk the global south. Yet covid taught us that no one is safe until we are all safe, while climate change is the greatest existential threat of our time. Never have we faced dangers so grave when our fates are so closely entwined. So at the very time when we need an international rules-based order to tackle these common threats—climate change, migration, terror and pandemics—we are more fragmented than ever. Divisions are hardening and debate is coarsening.

    Liam Byrne (Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North) (Lab)

    I am very grateful to the right hon. Member, my constituency neighbour, for giving way and I am delighted to see him in his place—on the Opposition side of the Chamber. Can I take it from his remarks that he subscribes to the view that we need not only a rules-based order, but a rights-based order? Here in our country, and indeed in Europe, the framework for those rights is the European convention on human rights. Are we to take it from his remarks that it is the policy of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition that we should remain a member of the ECHR?

    Mr Mitchell

    That is certainly the policy of the Opposition, and I hope it is common across the House that we should remain part of the European convention.

    I was talking about divisions hardening and debate coarsening. Public discourse is increasingly vitriolic, be it in pursuit of single issue causes or broader agendas, from the left or the right, or driven by motives that may or may not be religious and may or may not be well-intentioned. The challenge this presents to British foreign policy is immense, but Britain has punched above its weight precisely because of our leadership role in the international system.

    As His Majesty’s Opposition, our role is to hold the Government to account, but also to give the strongest possible support where we can. I hope that we can work constructively, as our two parties have done hitherto. In opposition, we will continue to make the case that Britain must be a force for good, that it is outward-looking and global in perspective, that we stand up for internationalism and co-operation, that we stand against populism and isolationism, and that we stand with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. I am very proud of the Conservative party’s record in government on all those fronts. We stood firmly behind Ukraine, and we worked day and night with international partners to maximise the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, while supporting negotiations to secure the release of the Israeli hostages. We produced a groundbreaking White Paper on international development, which drew in the support of all political parties in tackling global poverty in a complex geopolitical environment.

    Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) (Con)

    I am grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for his comments. One duty of the Opposition is to point out blind spots. We are talking about security, but one thing that was not mentioned in the King’s Speech was food security. For a rural community like mine, which has an 85% agricultural base, food security is really important. We have seen the attacks on Ukraine and the grain coming out of it. What can my right hon. Friend do in opposition to hold the Government to account to ensure we have food security on these isles?

    Mr Mitchell

    My hon. Friend is quite right about the importance of food security. He will remember that the then Prime Minister launched the global food security summit last November in Britain. Food security is an issue not just for us but, as my hon. Friend rightly says, all around the world, and we will continue to press the Government to take it as seriously as we did.

    I would like to expand on some themes that I anticipate will remain dominant over the course of this Parliament. First, I turn to Ukraine. Britain’s work in supporting Ukraine is a shining example of cross-party co-operation. I pay tribute to the Labour party for the constructive approach it demonstrated while in opposition. The Government can rely on us to continue in that spirit, because the struggle in Ukraine is an existential issue. Let no one believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine if he is victorious in this struggle. Our support for Ukraine in the face of Putin’s brutality remains unwavering, and I know that the Government’s position is the same. We welcome the Government keeping in place the commitment we made to spend at least £3 billion a year on military support for Ukraine for as long as is necessary.

    In government, we were also a leading advocate for sanctioned Russian assets being used to support Ukraine and for ensuring that Russia pays for the destruction it has caused. I urge the new Government to push the international community to coalesce around the most ambitious solution possible to achieve those important aims. We on the Opposition Benches welcome the declaration agreed at the NATO summit in Washington last week—to which the Defence Secretary referred—which committed to support Ukraine

    “on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”

    It is right that the Government also committed to this in the Gracious Speech.

    In relation to the middle east. we want to see the conflict in Gaza come to a sustainable end as quickly as possible. Our view remains that a negotiated pause in the fighting is the best way to secure the release of the hostages, enable a significant scaling up of much-needed humanitarian aid, and help bring about the conditions that will allow for a permanent end to hostilities. That is the plan that Britain championed in New York, and which secured the consent of the international community at the UN. There is a deal on the table to achieve those goals, backed by Israel, the United States and the United Nations Security Council. The onus is now on Hamas to accept it and bring to an end the suffering of the Palestinian people and the hostages, who remain in such awful jeopardy.

    The Government must build on our hard work to see aid reach those in Gaza who desperately need it. The Conservative Government trebled their aid commitment in the last financial year and did everything possible to get more aid into Gaza by land, sea and air. Israel has committed to increasing the amount of aid reaching Gaza, and the Government of Israel must be held to account for delivering on their promises.

    I want to signal a note of caution, which links to my comments earlier about composure. I am acutely aware of the very strong feelings that the conflict in Gaza has elicited. It is probably the most polarising foreign policy issue of our time, which has played out on the streets of our country, on our university campuses and in our politics, even forming the entire basis for some candidates in the general election, who are now with us in the House of Commons.

    We must remember that this remains an incredibly complex issue. The questions and challenges around resolving the current conflict and achieving the two-state solution that we all want to see are profoundly difficult. We have a responsibility to set a sensible and respectful tone in the many debates we will continue to have, and to make clear that there is no room in our democracy for threats of violence and intimidation. We require serious solutions and long-term measured policies, not performative politics or short-term symbolic proclamations. We should certainly recognise the state of Palestine, but it must be at the right time, as part of an overall solution. To do so prematurely could send a signal that terror pays. I urge the Government to resist the siren calls of those who wish to demonise the state of Israel, and who draw a moral equivalence between the Hamas leadership and the democratically elected Government of Israel in a bid to isolate and delegitimise it.

    While we are all appalled at the dreadful loss of life in Gaza, we must never forget the horror unleashed by Hamas on Israel on 7 October—the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history, to which the Defence Secretary rightly referred. The Conservative party stands four-square behind Israel’s right to defend itself—but it must be in accordance with international humanitarian law. We must not lose sight of the fact that this is, at its heart, a tale of two just causes, of two peoples’ legitimate aspirations for national sovereignty, security and dignity.

    There are other crises around the world that must also preoccupy the Government. I refer particularly to the crisis that has engulfed Sudan—now the worst displacement of people anywhere in the world. We are seeing clear evidence of ethnic cleansing once again in Darfur. We urge the Government to continue our efforts to pressure the warring parties in Sudan to cease hostilities, and to push hard for humanitarian support to reach those desperate people, including those I saw on the border with Chad earlier this year.

    The Government must also continue to hold to account the regimes around the world committing appalling acts, whether that is Iran, Myanmar, North Korea or Russia, where we must push for the immediate release of Vladimir Kara-Murza. Finally, I know that the Foreign Secretary will want to work closely with the Governments of Gibraltar and Spain, and take a hands-on approach to securing a good deal for the Rock’s future prosperity. We will also be following closely the very important negotiations over the future of Diego Garcia.

    I turn briefly and directly to the Gracious Speech. In spite of their legitimate desire for yet another defence review, I think the Government have made a mistake in not honouring immediately our commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. My hon. Friend the Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), the shadow Defence Secretary, will say more about the matter later, but I would say now that this gives the wrong signal to our allies and adversaries about our determination to confront the multitude of dangers the world faces. In 2014, the Conservative Government made the commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence. The UK led the way and many NATO allies have followed, and we have now led the way with our commitment to move to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. The Government should be in no doubt, either, that we will place under the microscope any decisions that they may make on our nuclear deterrent.

    On the subject of Europe, we welcome the closest possible partnership with our friends and neighbours, subject to respecting the results of the referendum and the will of our constituents over Brexit. Today’s most important summit at Blenheim, served up oven-ready by my right hon. Friend the former Prime Minister, is a chance to underline the effective way in which the UK has worked with our European partners in response to the invasion of Ukraine and shown that, although we are outside the EU, we can indeed work together effectively.

    The upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which I am delighted was referenced in the Gracious Speech, will be an opportunity to show real ambition for the Commonwealth. In government, we offered strong support for Samoa’s hosting of CHOGM and its desire to use this platform to enhance Commonwealth countries’ resilience to global challenges. I urge the new Government to continue working closely with Samoa to make the most of this CHOGM and to mobilise action across the Commonwealth, including to boost trade and investment and enhance access to climate finance.

    I wish to conclude by addressing an issue that is very close to my heart and the hearts of many others across the House, but which in many ways links all these themes together. I was privileged to return to government as the Minister for international development, a brief I held previously in 2010 as Secretary of State. For many in their darkest moments after flood, earthquake and disaster, Britain has been a beacon of hope and light. Now, 70 million people are falling back into poverty, millions of girls are out of school, famines stalk the lands of east Africa and children are starving to death. The anger and frustration of the global south is palpable. I made no secret of my dismay that the overseas aid budget was cut and that the Department for International Development was merged into the Foreign Office. My job as Deputy Foreign Secretary was to look forward, to try to make the merger work after a tumultuous start and to set out a pathway to return to 0.7%.

    However, development is about much more than money. Our recent White Paper crafted new approaches that reflect the changing world around us. We formulated creative ways of mobilising new and additional funds to ensure that the sustainable development goals can get back on track. I am proud of the leadership that our former Prime Minister has shown on the green climate fund and the Global Fund, where Britain was right at the forefront of ensuring that those funds improved and were fully replenished. I hope that the new Government will do the same with the International Development Association World Bank replenishment and with Gavi.

    We made the case that international development must be owned by the British people. I submit that that is not a Conservative, Labour or Liberal policy but a British policy, and we must all unite behind the goal of bringing the British people behind the agenda set out so clearly in the White Paper. All British development money is spent in our national interest, because it helps heal the grotesque discrepancies of opportunity and wealth that disfigure our world. We will continue to stand up for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, calling for the continued reform of the international financial system to free up funding for climate finance, debt relief and achieving the SDGs. We will continue to stand up for women and girls with the same vigour that we exhibited in government, whether in relation to female genital mutilation, women’s rights or LGBTQ rights, and we will press for a bolstering of the coping mechanisms of countries on the frontline of climate shocks.

    Finally, we will be keeping a close eye on whether the “D” in FCDO falls silent once more. Development is only as effective as the structures and expertise behind it. I tried hard in office to strengthen the development silo in the Foreign Office, with some, but frankly not enough success. I stress in the strongest terms that development cannot be a sideshow, as people’s lives depend upon it, but the Foreign Office system is built around diplomacy, with a panoply of resources focused on the Foreign Secretary’s priorities. I hope that the Government keep that in mind. Development deserves the attention and energy afforded to diplomacy. With the right strategic adjustments, development and diplomacy could make for a mighty partnership, but it will require proactive leadership. If, despite best efforts, that cannot be achieved under the merger—that will become clearer sooner rather than later during this Parliament—I will urge the Government to move swiftly and decisively to plan B.

    It is easy to despair at the state of the world, so I hope to end on a more sanguine note. I am long enough in the tooth to have lived through the ebbs and flows of different eras, conflicts and crises. I have witnessed the worst in humanity, but also the best. I have learned that the bleakest moments offer the greatest opportunities. However, history teaches us that most things do not come to an end, but are brought to an end. We have the power to change things for the better and to build a safer and more prosperous world, but we cannot do it alone. Only international co-operation can deliver the progress we seek. I sincerely hope that the new Government will succeed. The future of us all depends on that success.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech at the Opening of the British High Commission Dodoma Office

    Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech at the Opening of the British High Commission Dodoma Office

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office Minister, on 5 April 2023.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Regional Commissioner of Dodoma, officials and honoured guests, mabibi na mbwana, ladies and gentlemen,

    Hamjambo! Hello.

    Nimefurahi kuwa hapa. I am delighted to be here.

    It is an honour to open the UK’s newest overseas office. I’m on a bit of a roll here, a few days ago I was in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, to open our first ever Embassy there.

    It is a special privilege to be opening our High Commission in Dodoma in the month that your country celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Union.

    Today is not simply a sign of the confidence and value we place in our partnership with your government. It is also an outcome of the warm and enduring ties between our people, nurtured through decades of cooperation and friendship at all levels.

    Many notable Tanzanians have studied in the UK, from Julius Nyerere to Her Excellency President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

    These illustrious names are joined by over 800 former Commonwealth scholars and 300 former Chevening scholars. We are so proud of these brilliant links between our 2 countries and the fabulous cooperation these scholarships have produced.

    And as you are aware your excellences, the UK remains Tanzania’s second largest foreign investor, and one of our key bonds is our development partnership.

    And we want to invest in it further, drawing renewed inspiration both from Tanzania’s development ambitions and our recently published white paper on international development – which I must urge you to read if you have not  done so. It is a compelling page turner that sets out the Britain’s plan for getting the SDGs back on track by 2030. And it is available on our website fcdo.gov.uk.

    It was received very well by our partners. And we were so pleased when her excellence  President Samia agreed to provide a quote welcoming it. High praise indeed.

    And as you take stock of the past 6 decades, you have much to be proud of. Whether it is the long period of peace and social cohesion, or the opening of your economy in the 1990s to drive economic growth, or the progress in improving access to healthcare and education, including the recent achievement of parity of enrolment for girls in primary school.

    These are huge achievements all of us can take inspiration from.

    On the regional and global stage, we welcome President Samia’s efforts to champion investment in Africa’s human capital and food systems; for her advocacy for gender equality and climate action is particularly commendable.

    And we recognise the contributions Tanzania has made over the years to regional peacekeeping and the hosting of refugees, including in the eastern DRC.

    I know that you face challenges in making further progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to reduce extreme poverty and to deliver growth.

    I want to assure you that the UK is with you every step of the way as we clearly set out in our white paper. Our development roadmap prioritises mobilising more money from international financial institutions and increasing private sector investment in development.

    It is worth noting that around world something like 90% of all jobs are created not by governments but by the private sector.

    There are 3 things  we think we should focus on.

    First, we must reform the international system to better serve your interests in terms of trade, tax, debt, and tackling money laundering and dirty money.

    Second, we must work together to tackle global challenges, be it climate change, food insecurity or investing in education and health.

    Finally, we must harness innovation and digital transformation, making the best use of  technologies, science and research.

    We have already hit the ground running. Later today we hope to  have the honour of  signing  a UK-Tanzania Mutual Prosperity Partnership. Strengthening bilateral trade and investment, supporting better jobs and delivering more inclusive growth – I am very excited by what this partnership will enable us to achieve together.

    Tackling climate change will be vital in delivering on this agenda. We support President Samia’s ambition to move Tanzania away from the damaging use of charcoal in cooking and to expand the use of renewable energy.

    I am therefore delighted that the UK will be spending £5.5 million over the next 2 years on promoting clean cooking, clean energy access and urban resilience. Our programming will help bring clean cooking to 200 schools as well as thousands of households and assist several clean technology businesses to scale up their operations in Tanzania.

    We have a responsibility, as we build prosperity, to ensuring opportunities for all to share in it. Something I know is very close to the heart of the Tanzania government.

    Since 2015, the Britain  has invested over £112 million in building the social safety net for Tanzania’s poorest households. The UK will continue to partner with the Government of Tanzania in its efforts to lift the most vulnerable out of poverty and increase resilience to climate and economic shocks.

    We will also work with the government in building a resilient health system, to reduce preventable deaths, respond to disease outbreaks and build the capacity for universal health coverage by 2030. To help drive forward this ambition, I am announcing today that the UK will invest £15 million in strengthening health systems in Tanzania including through a £10 million contribution to the multi-donor Health Basket Fund.

    Tanzania is at a crossroads, undergoing a demographic transition. By ensuring women and girls have secure access to quality, affordable, and inclusive family planning services, we can accelerate progress on human capital outcomes as outlined in your Vision 2050.

    And that is why I am also delighted to announce today that the UK will be extending its Scaling Up Family Planning programme, which has reached over 4 million women since 2017, by the sum of £12 million, to deliver lifesaving and transformative SRHR services to an additional 900,000 Tanzanians. This programme will help prevent 1,400 maternal deaths, 1 million unintended pregnancies, and 207,000 unsafe abortions.

    These initiatives demonstrate  Britain’s commitment to our very close cooperation, partnership, and above all, our friendship. And after a period of very considerable budgetary pressure in Britain, I can announce too today that for the next financial year, which starts today, our bilateral programmes with Tanzania, the British and Tanzania development programme will more than triple this year from £17.6 million to £57 million.

    So this office will be a little piece of the UK here in Dodoma, setting the stage for the next 60 years. As we work together to deliver for the people of our 2 great countries.

    To those of you based in Dodoma, we will now be your jirani [neighbour]. Please do pop in for a cup of tea anytime.

    Thank you for welcoming us to the neighbourhood. Asanteni sana.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on UK-Nepal Development Portfolio and Funding

    Andrew Mitchell – 2024 Speech on UK-Nepal Development Portfolio and Funding

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Development Minister, in Nepal on 20 February 2024.

    Distinguished guests, honourable Finance Minister Mahat, friends, and colleagues. Namaste.

    It is wonderful to be in Nepal again. I know we have just celebrated an important milestone: 100 years of our Nepal-Britain Treaty of Friendship.

    But the truth is we go back much further. Bonds forged on the battlefields with the Gurkhas – who are so rightly famed for their extraordinary courage – date back 2 centuries. Those admirable soldiers epitomise the deep and lasting friendship between the UK and Nepal. A friendship that continues to evolve and shape our future together.

    When I last visited Nepal, over a decade ago, you were still recovering after a decade of civil war. Today, we are witnessing the fruits of progress. 92% of people have access to electricity from 67% in 2011. Literacy rates have jumped from 66% to 76%. Infant mortality is nearly one third of what it was 25 years ago. You have made huge strides in economic growth.

    Your constitution enshrines important rights and addresses inequalities. Millions are engaging in the new democratic system. Not just at home but abroad, Nepal is also showing it is a model citizen – whether defending the UN Charter on Ukraine or as a peacekeeping superpower.

    Progress has been remarkable. But Nepal still faces challenges. We need to work together to solve them together.

    This is why, I will today set out how the UK is re-shaping our development approach focusing on 8 programmes that aim to deliver over £400 million in grant support to Nepal by the end of the decade.

    In December, I set out a clear UK vision for development that will help us – together – get our sustainable development goals back on track.

    Nepal is delivering great things. The UK is proud to support its initiatives including on Green Resilient and Inclusive Development.

    And I’ve seen how the UK-Nepal partnership is evolving. I’ve met members of a Dalit community in Karnali who are better able to grow crops thanks to UK-backed climate-resilient irrigation. I met dedicated professionals at Butwal hospital helping end preventable deaths.

    The UK’s new development approach focuses on Nepali leadership and systems, on mobilising money, on opportunities for all, and on securing a future for young Nepalis – a future in Nepal.

    This portfolio is not just about ‘good projects delivering great things’ – although that is what they will do! It is a joined-up, coherent approach, based on strong evidence, and focused on strong outcomes. Spanning economic transformation, climate resilience, stronger social services, inclusion and much more besides.

    How will we do this?

    First. We will work with government to unlock money for Nepal to mobilise funding for development and growth – which in turn will generate further investment.

    The private sector is central to this work. There is no doubt in my mind that the private sector is the engine, not the enemy, of development. The private sector creates jobs, puts food on the table, turbocharges growth and enables societies to thrive on their own terms.

    We’re committed to expand this and support the government’s investment summit – though I stress how vital it is that investors have the right environment. For example, legal reforms and ensuring all actions needed to avoid the Financial Action Task Force grey-list.

    We aim to mobilise private capital – helping government remove barriers to attract investors, supporting the sort of excellent engagement Minister Mahat had with the City of London last year. Helping develop a Sovereign Credit rating, helping Green Bonds, helping Investment Board Nepal get the best deals. With the Asian Development Bank, it will help Nepal access climate finance and work with the World Bank and others to help the country deal with the threats of climate change.

    Developing the economy will also help to create productive, attractive jobs such as those, Upaya – the delivery company – is creating with UK support. And I am looking forward to meeting young innovators who, with UK support, are using technology to identify climate risks.

    Second. Our new portfolio will help tackle the climate change crisis and deliver economic transformation.

    Yesterday I flew over the Himalayas and saw first-hand the beauty and the fragility of glaciers that took thousands of years to form but are melting 3 times faster than elsewhere. Our work with Nepal will help to protect the most vulnerable here, and beyond, recognising the Hindu Kush Himalaya supports a quarter of the world’s population. We will not sit back when reports suggest 80% of the ice here could be gone by the end of the century.

    Yesterday I also saw how British International Investment is helping Nepal realise some of its immense potential in green energy, at Upper Trishuli Hydropower Plant. Our new development portfolio will further support Nepal to access private and UN climate finance for projects like this and wider adaptation. It will help Nepal to plan for risk – like developing early warning systems through our RAIN programme.

    Our third offer focuses on women and girls: I’ve always said that to understand development, you need see the world through the eyes of women and girls.

    Later today I will have the pleasure of meeting inspiring Nepali women leaders, entrepreneurs and activists who spoke about their passions and ambitions. Increasing opportunities for women – which starts by ensuring every girl has a chance at a decent education – is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do. The most successful societies are the most inclusive; built around equality of opportunity for all.

    Finally, we will harness innovation and new technologies. Research, digital, AI and data will underpin what we do and how we deliver.

    I want to conclude by assuring you that my visit is just part of the UK’s lasting, and sustained engagement with Nepal.

    We have a tremendous chance now to galvanise the private sectors work in Nepal, and Britain will be your friend at your side throughout this process. Because the conflicts that damaged Nepal in the past are in the past, of the brilliance of your visit to the city of London last year, because of the focus and evidence what the private sector can be here.

    And because of the fact that BII is investing here on the ground now and will be a leader for so many others, now is the time through the use of private sector, the ability of the private sector to deliver huge amounts of investment, huge numbers of jobs, and huge amounts of tax which is so important to any government.

    Now is the time on the back of the Investment Summit that you are holding at the end of April, that we can see real progress made with the laws that are going through your Cabinet and your Parliament are clearly set in action, put in place, to assuring the private sector that here is a welcoming environment in which they can pride and prosper.

    You are, and remain, our uniquely close and valued partner. Today, I have outlined how that partnership will respond to the opportunities and the challenges we share, as we enter a new century of friendship. And today I salute that friendship and say, here’s to the next 100 years of working together.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Africa and Development, at the Global Food Security Summit in London on 20 November 2023.

    Ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellencies, friends.

    This is the first of 4 sessions that I mentioned entitled ‘Creating new approaches to ending preventable deaths of children’. And we’ve got here for the session some of the best minds in the world for tackling this subject. We’ve got an hour and a half to try to make real progress and I want to thank everyone in advance for focusing so hard on this vital subject.

    We know that too many children are going to bed hungry and malnourished. It’s a point the Prime Minister set out right at the beginning of his remarks. And we are here united in our determination to change that – bringing all your expertise and experience to bear.

    And as you know, we launched the UK international development white paper today, setting out our long-term vision for addressing critical global challenges. This includes preventing and treating child wasting, through new partnerships and sources of finance.

    The collective effort to produce the white paper drew on the most expert minds in the business, including charities and NGOs, the private sector, academia and our partners abroad. It’s been an enormous undertaking, and I am hugely grateful to those of you who shared your expertise.

    This morning we are bringing that expertise together again, with a focus on child malnutrition.

    This summit is an important opportunity to galvanise action, shifting the dial to do more on prevention. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can enhance preventative measures, build resilience and optimise funding, in order to have the biggest impact.

    A huge part of this will be vital scientific research. We’ve already seen some big breakthroughs over the years, with ready-to-use foods like plumpy nut, for managing child wasting in the community. This ground-breaking work dramatically reduced the need for inpatient care, increased the uptake of treatment and saved countless lives across the world.

    We need more breakthroughs like this. That’s why the Foreign Office is supporting an ambitious research programme through ELRHA, to build a package of evidence-based interventions in nutrition, health, water and sanitation.

    We are also proud of our work together with UNICEF. Since we launched our partnership three years ago to drive progress on child wasting, UNICEF has recorded some impressive results in the 9 targeted countries.

    Last year, more than 4 million children were reached with essential nutrition support like Vitamin A, a 60% increase on the year before. And the proportion of children given lifesaving treatment for severe wasting increased from a third in 2021 to nearly half last year. We are continuing our work together with UNICEF to catalyse more sustainable financing, build stronger supply chains and help prevent, detect and treat child wasting.

    I am also delighted to announce that we will extend this fantastic partnership to 2030, the year when the white paper ends, and double our funding with an additional nearly £31 million bringing the total to £61 million.

    We will be working with UNICEF and our partners, including many of you here today, to campaign for action to reach at least 350 million mothers and children with services to prevent, detect and treat child wasting in the hardest hit regions of the world. Now I am delighted today to be co-chairing this session with UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Omar Abdi, and I am looking forward to hearing from him very shortly.

    We are also working together with the World Health Organisation and World Food Programme to strengthen the evidence for preventing and treating child wasting. The WHO is today launching new guidelines, including, for the first time, on prevention. And I am delighted that WHO Director General Tedros is with us this morning and I am looking forward to hearing from him.

    We are committed to implementing these guidelines and supporting you, our partners, to do the same.

    As the Prime Minister announced this morning, the new funding for UNICEF includes a further £16 million for the Child Nutrition Fund, which we are inaugurating this morning alongside our partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, where we had that fantastic announcement by Sir Chris Hohn of his additional $50 million.

    This is not just a UK-UNICEF partnership. It is, crucially, a partnership with the 10 countries that have joined us in using the Child Nutrition Fund Match-window to double supplies of therapeutic food within their health systems. And we hope more countries will join them.

    I’m glad that Pakistan’s minister of health, Nadeem Jan, is with us, and we look forward to hearing more about this from him.

    It is clear there is a great deal of expertise and determination in this room, so let us use this session, and this summit, to inspire each other to reach greater heights, save lives, and build a healthier future for the world’s children.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement at the UN Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response High-level Meeting

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement at the UN Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response High-level Meeting

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office Minister, on 20 September 2023.

    The COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge of our lifetime.

    The international response was punctuated with many high points of cooperation, and some low points of isolationism. We need to do better so that we are prepared for the next crisis.

    That means two things.

    First, we must provide help to lower and middle income countries so they’re better able to withstand health threats.

    The UK is committed to doing what it can to help strengthen health systems — they are the bedrock of effective pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

    To boost collaboration on research and development, including clinical trials and data sharing.

    To help to improve coordination across the human, animal and environmental health sectors.

    And to work with partners to ensure that safe and effective vaccines, medicines and tests are available during pandemics to all who need them, when they need them.

    Today, the UK is announcing over £370 million to strengthen global health security.

    This will help tackle deadly diseases in Africa, expand the UK Vaccine Network programme, and establish research and technical partnerships in Africa and the Indo-Pacific.

    Second, we must improve multilateral co-operation. Central to this are the negotiations in Geneva on a new Pandemic Accord and agreeing measures to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness and response whilst respecting national sovereignty.

    We must also reform the international financial institutions to release more finance to lower- and middle-income countries — an agenda the UK is championing. And it means investing in the Pandemic Fund and other funds to strengthen preparedness. As well as ensuring that when the next pandemic strikes, faster funding is available.

    We face an important moment. We must reflect on the lessons learnt from COVID-19 and work together to protect future generations from the catastrophic impacts of pandemics. They will rightly not forgive us should we fail.

    Thank you.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on the Election Process in Zimbabwe

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on the Election Process in Zimbabwe

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Africa, on 31 August 2023.

    The United Kingdom commends the people of Zimbabwe for demonstrating patience and resilience in exercising their democratic rights, and especially for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere on election day and beyond.

    We share the view of the Election Observation Missions’ preliminary statements that the pre-election environment and election day fell short of regional and international standards. Issues included limited transparency from the electoral commission, the lack of level playing field, the passing of repressive legislation, long delays in the opening of some polling stations, and reports of intimidation of voters. The UK takes note of the announcement by the Chair of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of results on 26 August. However, we are concerned by a lack of transparency in the tallying of results, as well as the arrests of domestic observers.

    We urge all parties and citizens to continue to follow constitutional processes in the coming weeks, allow space for inclusive dialogue, and act with restraint.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Gabon

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Gabon

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Africa, on 30 August 2023.

    The UK condemns the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Gabon and calls for the restoration of constitutional government. We acknowledge concerns raised regarding the recent electoral process, including restrictions on media freedom, and urge all parties and citizens to commit to and follow legal and constitutional processes to resolve any electoral disputes. We continue to monitor the situation in Gabon.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Atrocities in Sudan

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Atrocities in Sudan

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the UK Minister for Africa, on 22 August 2023.

    The UK is extremely concerned by the growing body of evidence of serious atrocities against civilians being committed in Sudan.

    The continued widespread violence across the country and significant civilian death toll are horrific. Reports of deliberate targeting and mass displacement of the Masalit community in Darfur are particularly shocking and abhorrent.

    Intentional directing of attacks at the civilian population is a war crime.

    The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have dragged Sudan into a wholly unjustified war, with utter disregard for the Sudanese people, and they will be held accountable.

    The UK is working hard to end the fighting in Sudan, including bolstering our capacity to monitor the atrocities that are taking place. This evidence will be shared with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court to ensure the evidence is preserved and used to hold people to account.

    In July the UK announced a package of sanctions freezing the assets of commercial entities linked to both SAF and RSF, and stand ready to take additional measures. We call on international partners to join us in taking action to target the warring parties’ access to funding and arms.

    In the United Nations Security Council and Human Rights Council, the UK continues to highlight and condemn human rights atrocities in Sudan, urging partners to do the same, particularly the heinous crimes being committed in Darfur.

    We have announced £21.7 million in humanitarian funding for those in need in Sudan in addition to £5 million to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad.

    Both the SAF and RSF must enable humanitarian access in Sudan. It is disgraceful that at a time of unprecedented need, humanitarian actors face targeted attacks and increased barriers, such as restrictive visa and customs procedures. The widespread blocking of convoys that are attempting to deliver life-saving supplies is deplorable. The UK calls on warring parties to comply with their obligations to protect civilians under international humanitarian law.

    The UK stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan in their demands for a peaceful and democratic future.

    The world is watching the dreadful events taking place there and the UK will do all in its power to ensure there are credible investigations and accountability – however long it takes to do so.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Aid and Support for Afghanistan

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement on Aid and Support for Afghanistan

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in the House of Commons on 17 July 2023.

    My Noble Friend, the Minister of State (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations) (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon), has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

    Today I am updating the House on UK efforts to support those most in need in Afghanistan. Afghanistan remains one of HM Government’s (HMG’s) largest bilateral aid allocations and we continue to be a major contributor to humanitarian, health and education support. Since April 2021, HMG has disbursed over £532 million in aid for Afghanistan while the country continues to experience one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises. This financial year we have made a further commitment of £100 million and plan an additional £151 million for next financial year. HMG continues to influence international thinking on how to support basic services in Afghanistan, challenge the Taliban on human rights abuses, and build consensus on engaging with the Taliban to make progress on issues of mutual benefit. We remain committed that at least 50% of people reached with UK aid in Afghanistan will be women and girls, a commitment we met in 2021-22 and are on track to meet for 2022-23.

    The scale of the need in Afghanistan is profound. Two thirds of the population are estimated to be in humanitarian need. We remain appalled at the continued erosion of the rights of women and girls, which has led to their almost total exclusion from political, educational and social spaces. On 23 March 2022, the Taliban banned girls’ access to secondary schools and closed universities to women in December 2022. On 5 April 2023, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for the UN in Afghanistan, extending their 24 December 2022 directive banning Afghan women from working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs). HMG has strongly condemned the Taliban’s decisions through a range of international statements, including the UN Security Council Resolution 2681. Together with like-minded countries—including those in the organisation of Islamic co-operation—we continue to press the Taliban to reverse their prohibitive decrees.

    Afghan women play a vital role in the delivery of aid operations, and the FCDO is supporting our international partners to adapt programmes and find solutions to include women and girls in the implementation of aid. Afghan women and girls must have safe and equitable access to aid. HMG continues to support girls’ education in Afghanistan through bilateral and multilateral contributions to NGOs, UN partners and multilateral funds. Educated, empowered women will contribute to Afghanistan’s economic development, as well as to its peace and stability.

    The UN’s Humanitarian Appeal for Afghanistan this year is for $3.2 billion and is currently only 15% funded. We continue to press donors to meet their commitments to support the Afghan people. In 2022-2023, the UK disbursed £95 million to the UN’s World Food Programme, supporting 4.2 million people. Through UNICEF, HMG expects to reach an estimated 1.6 million people with nutrition, water and sanitation, and child and social protection services in 2022-23. £50 million was allocated to the UN Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund last year to provide support for health, water, protection, shelter, food, livelihoods, and education interventions.

    As co-chair of the Afghanistan co-ordination group until recently, HMG has worked with international partners to deliver sustained essential services for the Afghan people. In 2022, HMG supported the Asian Development Bank to approve a $405 million package of support. This followed an approval in December 2021 to transfer $280 million of funds from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund to UN agencies. This funding supports UN agencies to finance core public health services, education, and the provision of emergency food services.

    We continue to engage pragmatically with the Taliban, primarily through the UK Mission to Afghanistan, based in Doha. FCDO ministers are in regular contact with their international counterparts on Afghanistan. In 2023 The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP and I as Minister of State have met UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, Afghan women and civil society organisations to discuss the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls. The Foreign Secretary and his ministerial team regularly discuss Afghanistan during their international engagements. The Prime Minister’s Special Representative to Afghanistan regularly engaged with international counterparts, including at a substantive meeting for special envoys hosted by the UN Secretary General in Doha in May 2023.