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More than 30,000 Palestinians are dead, more than 100 Israeli hostages are still unaccounted for and Gaza is facing famine. The war must end now with an immediate ceasefire. That needs both sides to agree. It was Hamas, not Israel, who rejected the last internationally brokered ceasefire deal. Now a new offer is on the table, and Hamas now have the power to stop the fighting. Does the Minister agree that Hamas should accept this deal and avert a catastrophic continuation of this war?
More than 30,000 Palestinians are dead, more than 100 Israeli hostages are still unaccounted for and Gaza is facing famine. The war must end now with an immediate ceasefire. That needs both sides to agree. It was Hamas, not Israel, who rejected the last internationally brokered ceasefire deal. Now a new offer is on the table, and Hamas now have the power to stop the fighting. Does the Minister agree that Hamas should accept this deal and avert a catastrophic continuation of this war?
Yes. The right hon. Gentleman makes a very good point and, although these negotiations are fluid at the moment, he is right to say that Hamas should accept the deal that has been put on the table.
Last week the US Congress agreed a new $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. The bipartisan co-operation led by Mike Johnson is essential if Ukraine is to continue to defend against Putin’s illegal invasion. I am proud that this House will stand united on Ukraine for as long as it takes to win. Will the Minister update the House on progress with our G7 allies to seize and repurpose frozen Russian state assets in the UK, to support the reconstruction of Ukraine?
Last week the US Congress agreed a new $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. The bipartisan co-operation led by Mike Johnson is essential if Ukraine is to continue to defend against Putin’s illegal invasion. I am proud that this House will stand united on Ukraine for as long as it takes to win. Will the Minister update the House on progress with our G7 allies to seize and repurpose frozen Russian state assets in the UK, to support the reconstruction of Ukraine?
The Government are seeking agreement on a way of advancing this matter with the G7. The right hon. Gentleman is right about the mechanism, and we are doing everything we can with our allies to achieve precisely what he describes.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b)...
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b)...
The FCDO are unable to confirm these details in line with paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code which states: "The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority."
For a decade now, the Labour party has supported Palestinian recognition. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer) has said,
“statehood is not in the gift of a neighbour. It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.”
I welcome the Foreign Secretary adopting that position and rejecting the notion that recognition can only follow the conclusion of negotiations. After the unacceptable comments by Prime Minister Netanyahu, does the Prime Minister agree that no country has a veto over the UK’s decision to recognise Palestine?
For a decade now, the Labour party has supported Palestinian recognition. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer) has said,
“statehood is not in the gift of a neighbour. It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.”
I welcome the Foreign Secretary adopting that position and rejecting the notion that recognition can only follow the conclusion of negotiations. After the unacceptable comments by Prime Minister Netanyahu, does the Prime Minister agree that no country has a veto over the UK’s decision to recognise Palestine?
I can tell the shadow Foreign Secretary that we will pursue the policy that we think is right. The Foreign Secretary set out clearly in his remarks last night the importance of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. In respect of the conversations that the Foreign Secretary will have had last week with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I cannot trade the details across the House, but I can tell the right hon. Gentleman that the Foreign Secretary will have represented the British position with Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom he knows very well, with great accuracy.
From the floods to the fires, from melting ice sheets to ocean heat, the climate crisis is reaching a tipping point. Labour has a plan at home: doubling onshore wind, trebling solar and ending new oil and gas licences in the North sea. Labour has a plan internationally: a clean power alliance
of developed and developing countries to drive forward the transition. Is it not the truth that the Government have no plan and have squandered Britain’s climate reputation to wage culture wars at home?
From the floods to the fires, from melting ice sheets to ocean heat, the climate crisis is reaching a tipping point. Labour has a plan at home: doubling onshore wind, trebling solar and ending new oil and gas licences in the North sea. Labour has a plan internationally: a clean power alliance
of developed and developing countries to drive forward the transition. Is it not the truth that the Government have no plan and have squandered Britain’s climate reputation to wage culture wars at home?
The reason the Government were able to reduce the size of electricity bills for hard-working families was precisely because we are meeting our targets and will meet our international commitments. Britain’s international targets and commitments are enshrined in law as a result of the activities of this House. Internationally we are committed, as the right hon. Gentleman knows and as was set out to the House towards the end of last year, to spending £11.6 billion on ensuring that we meet our climate targets and produce climate finance. I would argue that that figure will be nearer £16 billion by 2026.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to collaborate with the People’s Republic of China on climate change.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to collaborate with the People’s Republic of China on climate change.
The UK is committed to working with China on climate change, as part of the "engage" pillar of our policy towards China. China is the largest emitter of carbon and the largest investor in sustainable energy. The choices that China makes will be critical to our collective ability to tackle climate change.
The UK and China have over a decade of engagement on climate and clean energy, including our bilateral Clean Energy Partnership and UK-China Energy Dialogue. Climate has been a regular subject on the agenda for high-level bilateral engagement, including when we hosted COP26 and when the former Foreign Secretary visited Beijing in August 2023.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many ministerial there have been to the People’s Republic of China in the last twelve months.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many ministerial there have been to the People’s Republic of China in the last twelve months.
The former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Beijing in August 2023 and had bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng. Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment, DBT, visited Beijing and Shanghai in September 2023. He attended China's International Fair for Investment and Trade where the UK was guest of honour. In her capacity as then-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey visited Beijing and Shanghai in November 2023. During her visit, Dr Coffey met Chinese counterparts to discuss UK agri-food exports and global biodiversity ahead of COP28.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the adequacy of aid to Ukraine.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the adequacy of aid to Ukraine.
On his 12 January visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine as he announced increased UK military funding of £2.5 billion for next financial year and signed an historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation. We are in constant contact with international partners ensuring Ukraine receives the diplomatic support it needs. The Foreign Secretary set out the high level of UK ambition with counterparts at several recent meetings, including during NATO and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe gatherings in November, as well as during December travel to Washington, Paris, Rome, Amman and Cairo. He did so again this week at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many discussions he had with his counterpart in the People’s Republic of China in the final quarter of 2023.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many discussions he had with his counterpart in the People’s Republic of China in the final quarter of 2023.
The Foreign Secretary had a phone call with Foreign Minister and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi on 5 December 2023. During the conversation, the Foreign Secretary and Wang Yi discussed the UK-China relationship, the situation in Israel and Gaza and Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We have restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside our G7 partners.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the increase in Chinese aerial incursions and military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the increase in Chinese aerial incursions and military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. China's continued military flights near Taiwan are part of an ongoing pattern of escalatory activity and are not conducive to peace and stability. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, including increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan. We have restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside our G7 partners.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much official development assistance his Department plans to provide to Ukraine in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much official development assistance his Department plans to provide to Ukraine in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years.
The total UK military, humanitarian and economic support committed to Ukraine since the invasion now amounts to almost £12 billion. In 2023/24 the FCDO plans to provide £223.3 million of Official Development Assistance for Ukraine, with a focus on providing support for life-saving humanitarian assistance, energy resilience and early recovery and reconstruction. This includes an uplift of £18m in aid announced by the Prime Minister when he was in Kyiv on the 12th January. For 2024/25 the FCDO currently has an indicative allocation of £155 million of Official Development Assistance, as set out in its 2022-23 Annual report and accounts. We will update the House once the Ukraine allocation has been finalised.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Democratic People's Republic of Korea ammunitions to Russia.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Democratic People's Republic of Korea ammunitions to Russia.
The UK strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, and Russia's decision to use DPRK-supplied missiles in recent attacks against Ukraine. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. It also violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), which Russia itself voted for, and highlights Putin's desperation and isolation on the global stage. On 12 January, the UK issued a joint statement with other Foreign Ministers calling for all UN Member States to condemn Russia and the DPRK's UNSCR violations. The DPRK is subject to a robust sanctions regime and the UK will continue to work with our partners to influence and to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.
The UK strongly condemns Iran's provision of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, which have been used to kill Ukrainian civilians and attack critical infrastructure. We continue to expose this desperate alliance and hold Iran to account for its support of Russia's illegal war, including by providing evidence at the UN. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 24 Iranian individuals and entities involved in the manufacture and transfer of UAVs, adding to our existing extensive sanctions on the Iranian drone programme. In December 2023, the new Iran sanctions regime came into force, including new trade restrictions on components used by Iran to manufacture UAVs.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Russia’s escalating air attacks on Ukraine.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Russia’s escalating air attacks on Ukraine.
Russia's latest bombardment has come at vast cost - and significantly depleted their stockpiles - with limited strategic military effect. We deplore the recent attacks which have resulted in over 90 civilian casualties, including children. We are sending hundreds more air defence missiles to restock highly effective British-developed air defence systems, to protect civilians and infrastructure from Putin's barbaric bombing campaign. On 12 January, the Prime Minister announced £2.5 billion in military support for 2024/25. This includes £200 million to procure and produce thousands of military drones, giving Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens. We also announced a further £18 million in aid for Ukraine, including for humanitarian aid on the frontline and to fortify Ukraine's energy infrastructure against further Russian attacks.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Venezuela on the border dispute with Guyana in the last three months.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Venezuela on the border dispute with Guyana in the last three months.
The UK Government does not recognise the legitimacy of the Maduro regime. The recent steps taken by Venezuela with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana are unjustified and should cease. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The statement by Venezuela in St Vincent confirming that it will refrain from the use of force and any further escalation is welcome and it must be followed by concrete actions. We will continue to work with our partners in the region and internationally to ensure respect for Guyana's sovereignty. I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for the Guyanese people on this vital issue.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had recent discussions with the Speaker of the House on the Secretary of State's accountability to the House of Commons.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had recent discussions with the Speaker of the House on the Secretary of State's accountability to the House of Commons.
An aggressive threat to a smaller neighbour, an attack on recognised international borders, an illegitimate referendum stoking historical grievances—the Putin playbook is being copied in Caracas by Maduro. We must stand up to bullies and tyrants with imperial ambitions. As we maintain our steadfast commitment to Ukraine, can the Minister reaffirm the UK’s unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty?
An aggressive threat to a smaller neighbour, an attack on recognised international borders, an illegitimate referendum stoking historical grievances—the Putin playbook is being copied in Caracas by Maduro. We must stand up to bullies and tyrants with imperial ambitions. As we maintain our steadfast commitment to Ukraine, can the Minister reaffirm the UK’s unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty?
Yes, I can. Yesterday I attended a meeting convened by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, and it put out a statement last night which I very much hope will reassure the right hon. Gentleman.
Another day when the Foreign Secretary is unaccountable, in the middle of a war that could still get even worse. West bank violence is rising, Hezbollah have attacked Israeli positions and Israeli airstrikes have hit towns in south Lebanon. A widening of this conflict is in no one’s interest, and all parties must show restraint. While he is absent from this place, what steps is the Foreign Secretary taking to prepare for further escalation and to deter all parties from full-blown regional war?
Another day when the Foreign Secretary is unaccountable, in the middle of a war that could still get even worse. West bank violence is rising, Hezbollah have attacked Israeli positions and Israeli airstrikes have hit towns in south Lebanon. A widening of this conflict is in no one’s interest, and all parties must show restraint. While he is absent from this place, what steps is the Foreign Secretary taking to prepare for further escalation and to deter all parties from full-blown regional war?
First of all, I fully understand that the right hon. Gentleman wishes to have close contact with Lord Cameron as the Foreign Secretary, but he will be aware that he is in almost continuous contact with the Foreign Secretary by text and WhatsApp—indeed, Mr Speaker, if he was in any closer contact it would probably be a civil partnership.
On the substantive point about the widening of the conflict, the right hon. Gentleman will know that, very early after 7 October, the Prime Minister moved a British military asset to the eastern end of the Mediterranean, first to try to ensure that, if there were any arms being moved, we would know about it, and secondly to have eyes on what was happening. British diplomacy, along with that of our like-minded allies and friends, is devoted to ensuring that the conflict does not widen.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on external consultancy fees in each of the last ten years.
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on external consultancy fees in each of the last ten years.
FCDO consultancy spend in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-2023 was £2.7 million, £1.4 million and £3.9 million respectively. Total FCO plus DFID spend for years 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2015-16 was £3.0 million, £2.6 milion, £1.3 million, £3.3 million and £2.6 million respectively.
The FCDO's E-sourcing system only goes back to 2016 so we are unable to provide data between 2012-13 and 2014-2015.