Tag: Stephen Doughty

The speech made by Stephen Doughty, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in the House of Commons on 13 January 2026.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland (David Smith) for securing the debate and for his tireless work as special envoy. I thank hon. Members from across the House for their thoughtful contributions. I will try to respond to as many of the points that have been raised as I can in the time available.

I declare an interest as a Christian who has worked with Open Doors and others in the past to draw attention to cases where people are persecuted for their beliefs. I genuinely welcome the chance to keep this important matter in the spotlight. I have engaged with the issue for many years, including when I was shadow Minister for Africa. I was glad to hear my hon. Friend mention Nigerian communities in the UK. I have had the pleasure of meeting Nigerian Christian communities in my constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth, and I know the amazing contribution that they make, alongside Nigerian communities across the UK.

My hon. Friend is right that this issue should interest, concern and deeply shock us all because of the horrific things that we have seen. The brutality of the attacks against religious communities in Nigeria is truly appalling. The cold-blooded massacre of over 200 Christians in Yelwata, Benue state, last October was particularly shocking. We have heard many terrible statistics today, but last year’s Open Doors world watch list reported that armed groups murdered 3,100 Christians for their faith in Nigeria in 2025, and abducted a further 3,000. It is shocking to hear that extremists have stormed villages, killed worshippers, kidnapped families and burned homes, and we have heard some truly horrific examples today.

Nigeria’s constitution promises freedom of religion or belief for all. Every person in that country deserves the right to practise their faith or belief safely, without fear or persecution. When we defend freedom of religion or belief, we help to build trust between communities, strengthen Nigeria’s social fabric and create conditions for lasting peace and prosperity for everyone. That is why Nigeria is one of the 10 countries prioritised for targeted action in the Government’s strategy on freedom of religion or belief, launched last July.

We welcome the President’s commitment to religious freedoms and his pledge to safeguard freedom of belief for all Nigerians. I am glad that my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland recognised that we are working closely with the Nigerian authorities, along with communities and faith leaders directly, to uphold and protect these freedoms. Indeed, my colleague Baroness Chapman, the Minister for Africa, continues to be engaged closely in this topic, and she is extremely concerned about the violence against many communities, including religious communities, in Nigeria.

My hon. Friend asked about the work that we are doing to raise these issues at the highest levels. Baroness Chapman spoke directly with Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Tuggar about freedom of religion or belief in November. Our high commissioner and his team engage with local authorities, communities and faith leaders in affected areas, including with groups such as the Governors’ Forum, the National Peace Committee and the National Human Rights Commission.

We know that criminality, intercommunal violence and insecurity make things worse for religious communities. That is why we focus on tackling the root causes of instability to protect people’s rights, whether they come from Christian communities or Muslim communities, or whether they are humanists, have different beliefs or, indeed, have no beliefs. We need to create a society where everybody is able to live and to practise in the way that they wish. I am glad that my hon. Friend mentioned the case of Mubarak Bala, which I remember raising on many occasions in the past. We highlight violations of freedom of religion or belief on the international stage and push for joint action, including at the UN, the G7, as part of the Article 18 Alliance and in bodies like the Human Rights Council.

My hon. Friend and other hon. Members rightly pointed to the violent extremist groups, such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, which continue to attack people in shocking ways in the north-east of Nigeria. They target anyone who rejects their ideology. My hon. Friend made the important point that it is not just Christians, but the mainly Muslim population of the north-east who suffer terribly as a result. However, the Christian minority faces extreme persecution through mass kidnappings and murders. Those are utterly unacceptable and have shocked the world.

Intercommunal violence and criminal banditry are linked, and they fuel deaths and tensions. Criminals smuggle weapons into Nigeria, affecting both Muslims and Christians, and they use motorbikes and all sorts of other techniques to evade the authorities. Conflict over land and resources in Nigeria often takes on a religious aspect as tensions rise and violence escalates. Those ideologies can sometimes be used as psychological warfare, with attacks on churches and mosques being seen as acts of revenge.

However, peaceful dialogue can resolve disputes before they escalate. Since our last debate on this issue in 2024, we have rolled out the UK’s Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme across Kaduna, Katsina, Benue and Plateau states; I was glad to hear that referred to. The programme is doing very important work in reducing violence by strengthening local peace and justice systems and supporting practical, community-led solutions. One early success is that 5,000 internally displaced people have returned and resettled after a peace agreement between the Bassa and Egbura communities in Nasarawa state. If we do not tackle the root causes of insecurity, religious communities will remain at risk of these terrible atrocities.

My hon. Friend mentioned our co-operation with Nigeria more broadly on security issues, which I am very pleased to play a role in alongside my colleague, the Minister for Africa. Last July, we hosted the third security and defence partnership dialogue with Nigeria.

Mike Wood rose—

Stephen Doughty

I will be generous and give way to the hon. Gentleman in his new position.

Mike Wood

The tragic case of Deborah Samuel Yakubu is a reminder of the culture of impunity that has been allowed to develop in too many parts of Nigeria. Can the Minister assure the House that the UK Government do everything and take every opportunity to stress the need for improved security in particularly vulnerable parts of Nigeria to ensure that people are safe to exercise their religious beliefs?

Stephen Doughty

I absolutely can. I mentioned a range of different levels at which we do that—indeed, the Minister for Africa has raised a number of these issues at the highest level—and we continue to engage. The high commissioner and the team do an excellent job of engaging at all levels to raise these cases. That is why we have this dialogue, the SPRiNG programme and the investment that we are making across a range of areas with the Nigerian authorities, who are close partners in many respects and on many issues not just in Nigeria, but more broadly.

We agreed to strengthen our co-operation and provide practical support to defend against these threats. That includes very practical steps such as sharing operational lessons to counter new tactics being used by terrorists, including the use of drones and improvised explosive devices, which have tragically been used against civilians in too many locations.

The UK is trying to address the wider issues of poverty and humanitarian concerns. We support hundreds of thousands of people through our humanitarian assistance and resilience programme. I assure you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as well as the special envoy that we will keep working with the Nigerian authorities and faith leaders to address the shocking violence against people who are simply trying to follow their faith or belief.

I particularly welcome the concerns raised about Christian communities, but this issue affects many. We will work at every level to ensure that this violence is brought to an end, and we will also work globally on these issues. I really praise the special envoy for the work that he does on these important issues.

The speech made by Stephen Doughty, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, on 11 March 2025.

Well thank you very much, David.

In the genuine spirit of bipartisanship, David was an absolutely excellent Minister for Europe, albeit from a different political philosophy.

And I certainly look to his example in trying to do this role today in very difficult and challenging times.

And really it is genuinely an honour to host you all here in this beautiful venue.

And thanks to Aurora Forum and Wilton Park and everybody else here at Goodwood who’s helped put this together.

And all the sponsors, all the different governments who participate, and we come here very much as friends and likeminded counterparts in some very, very challenging times.

And indeed Goodwood House itself has witnessed many centuries of history, and we’re obviously here at a pivotal moment not only for Ukraine but for the security of our Continent and indeed the whole world.

I’ve just come from another conference down the road at Wilton Park with Ukrainian friends and colleagues, with Ministers, members of the Rada and others, talking about Ukraine’s economic resilience and economic recovery needs and all our shared commitments on that.

But obviously to be able to move to that more hopeful future, we need to ensure Ukraine’s security and sovereignty now.

And that is a moment in which we stand united in a desire for a strong, just and a lasting peace.

Determined to contain Putin’s reckless actions and continue to put pressure on the Kremlin, while stepping up to ensure that Ukraine has the support, including the military support, that it needs.

And I was in Kyiv just about ten days ago under yet another bombardment in the night of drones and missiles.

I visited Bucha, which many of you will know saw some of the worst atrocities that we have seen in Europe in decades.

And to see, yet again, drones having attacked that small town that’s endured so much suffering just hours before I arrived killing civilians, a journalist and others just shows us the stark reality of what Ukrainians are facing every single day.

But their strength and resilience is absolute, as it has been throughout this conflict.

We also have to be looking very closely at how we invest in our own defences – which is why the UK has announced our own biggest sustained increase in spending since the Cold War.

And that we need to pull together as Europe to drive urgent action, but also working with the United States and our other partners across the Atlantic and Ukraine to make progress.

We all know that that is vital for our Continent’s future security.

On a more personal note, support for Ukraine is a cause that I care deeply about.

It’s one that’s personal to me, there are many ties between Ukraine and my own home area of South Wales. My own city was twinned with Luhansk.

It was a Welshman that helped found one of the cities in the Donbas, Donetsk, and we even of course have a Sebastopol in the South Wales valleys harking back to the Crimean war when Welsh troops fought in a different era.

And it’s also one I have a personal connection to. In my own time I taught English in Lviv many years ago and I’ve had many friends and counterparts from Ukraine over the years.

And each time I have been back since this barbaric, unprovoked conflict began, I have witnessed again that courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

This morning before joining with all of you I spoke with the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Stefanishyna, and reiterated the United Kingdom’s unwavering support.

And this afternoon, we are going to discuss our collective support in detail at our Ministerial roundtable, and it’s great to welcome fellow ministers, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with over recent weeks and months, and I hope that  will become a regular feature of Aurora.

Not that we’re just coming together, discussing very important issues, sharing perspectives but we’re also agreeing joint plans of action.

And we all hope for positive steps forward at the talks in the next few days. We’re going to do all that we can to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for lasting peace, and the ability to deter and defend against future aggression.

And in that endeavour, and indeed in the wider European security endeavour, it has never been more important for the UK and our Nordic-Baltic partners to work together.

We have a lot of shared experience, a lot of likeminded approaches, and we act as a bedrock and a base for wider European security.

It is a huge honour to be the UK minister responsible for relations with this part of the world, one I know well.

I have many deep Nordic-Baltic connections in my own family and my own history. I’ve worked in Denmark, my brother studied in Norway, and I was taught Finnish folk music by one of our own participants here today when I was a 16-year-old in Canada which is a very unique and deep connection!

I’ve had the pleasure to visit nearly every country in the Nordic-Baltic region before coming into office and since. I haven’t yet been to Latvia, the Faroes or Greenland but it won’t be long before I do, I’m sure.

And you know, it is very clear, we see the reality, we see the threat from Russia, we see the threat to European security, we know the history.

Putin’s war, his imperialist ambitions, are close at hand.

We recognise that, we recognise the very serious threats to all of you, your border is our border, and your security is our security. And that’s why we stand with you as the United Kingdom.

And I have seen for myself that new iron curtain between Lithuania and Belarus – and I’ve met the border force who are resolutely monitoring the security of our NATO border there.

I’ve had the privilege to join British Royal Marines training with their Norwegian counterparts in Northern Norway.

I’ve conducted a tour in NATO’s Northern flank with the Norwegian Coast Guard with Maria and her colleagues recently.

And I also was, I think, the first British Minister in ten years to attend the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, where I thought it was very important to show our shared ambitions to work alongside you all in the Arctic region and indeed in the Polar regions more generally, not only for the science and peacefulness of those regions but also their security against hostile threats.

And of course, my colleague the Foreign Secretary travelled to this region on his first trip in the job, to Sweden.

We feel your sense of threat. We hear your concerns. And that’s why we’re stepping up our collective partnerships with all of you in this room, across Europe and beyond for the sake of our security, and to better face global challenges.

That includes seeking an ambitious new security pact, a new partnership, with the EU to strengthen co-operation on defence, security, energy, climate and much more.

But, of course, this goes far beyond the EU and encompasses our ironclad commitment to NATO and indeed the Joint Expeditionary Force, the JEF, which the UK is proud to lead.

And the Prime Minister was glad to attend the JEF leaders’ summit in Tallinn a few months ago, discussing further measures to support Ukraine.

He and the Defence Secretary have made a point of visiting and thanking British military personnel – indeed your military personnel – deployed in the region in recent months. Because together with our allies we stand ready to defend NATO’s eastern flank and to uphold European stability.

And, as I speak, our JEF nations are working side-by-side to combat the risk of sabotage, of hybrid activity, in the Baltic and indeed to monitor the Russian shadow fleet, which we all know does so much damage.

And we are working together to constrain the activities with not only economic implications but wider maritime security implications.

We’re also intensifying our efforts together to counter Russian hybrid threats, including sabotage, cyber attacks, disinformation.

And the Maritime Capability Coalition, led by the UK and Norway, is transforming the Ukrainian navy.

Those are just a few short examples of the UK promise to step up and put our money, our boots and our actions where our mouths are on European security, and of course we will discuss that in more detail during this forum.

But of course, there is much more to our relationships than security and defence, vital as those are.

Our economic and trade ties and the strong links between our citizens and our cultures are all part of the rich mix that strengthens our bonds.

It is the UK government’s number one mission to advance economic growth to build a more secure and prosperous future for citizens here.

And in this, we hugely value our links with our Nordic-Baltic partners.

Our trading relationships with the eight countries here today are worth more than 95 billion pounds a year and rising.

And there is huge appetite to invest and work in mutual collaborations in each other’s economies.

Take the UK’s ambitious new Green Industrial Partnership with Norway as just one example.

By combining our world-leading capabilities on clean energy to drive economic growth we have the potential to create thousands of new skilled jobs in both of our countries.

This is an important part of the UK’s plan to secure home-grown energy and put us on track to make Britain a green and clean energy superpower by 2030.

And, of course, together our countries are also at the forefront of innovations – indeed, the UK and many of the countries in this room regularly feature on lists of the most innovative nations on earth. And we are particularly proud to co-host NATO’s Diana initiative with Estonia.

Our collective experience in AI, quantum technologies, drone technology and innovation will be crucial in protecting our societies and developing new capabilities in the future.

And the countries, businesses and academics in this room count themselves, rightly so, as world leaders. We’re delighted that you are all here.

I could speak at length about wider partnerships on everything from climate finance to digital government. But I know we are all keen to get down to business, to get down to discussions, so I hope this forum will be an important moment to galvanise those efforts. At ministerial level, between those in think tanks, the academic space, between businesses and the other partners in this room.

We’ve all got to continue to learn from each other, urgently, and to work together, urgently, as we write the next chapter in our partnerships as strong supporters of Ukraine, strong defenders of European security.

Standing together to defend our security and values at this critical moment, and, fundamentally, to advance the causes of prosperity and peace.

Thank you very much.