Topical Questions

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

Britain is at the heart of diplomatic efforts to de escalate the situation in the middle east. We are clear that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. While at the UK, EU, G7 and NATO summits and in my engagements from the high north to north Africa, the Government have been delivering security and growth for the British people, deepening Britain’s partnerships and alliances, and addressing the ongoing horrendous conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

I know that this House, alongside my constituents across Bexleyheath and Crayford, welcomes the sanctions taken against two Israeli officials earlier this month. What discussions are the UK Government holding with our international partners regarding further actions that could be taken in relation to the incitement of violence against Palestinian citizens?

My hon. Friend will have seen that we worked with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway on taking those sanctions against Ben Gvir and Smotrich. I cannot speculate on future sanctions, but I reassure him that we are co ordinating with our allies. He will know that on the issue of humanitarian aid, for example, 26 countries joined us.

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

Given the clear threat that Iran poses to the United Kingdom, our allies and the middle east, does the Foreign Secretary support the actions undertaken by the United States to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons? He will have heard that President Trump has said that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are gone. Does he welcome that?

It was important to be alongside Secretary of State Rubio last week in DC. We continue to work closely with President Trump, and the Prime Minister spoke to him just two days ago. The initial assessments of those attacks in Iran are coming in, and we will assess that in due course.

Given the situation that has emerged in the middle east and the fact that the de escalation has not taken place in recent hours, can the Foreign Secretary outline what measures he is overseeing, in what is effectively quite an urgent situation, to bring back 4,000 British nationals now stranded in Israel? He, like me, will have received overnight a large volume of correspondence from concerned families. What immediate steps will be taken? I understand that another plane is being put in place, but we are now speaking about 4,000 British nationals who are clearly stuck in Israel.

I was very pleased to see that that flight came into Birmingham. We will do all we can to work with the Israeli Government to open airspace and to continue flights. We have a ceasefire. I have seen, of course, that that ceasefire has been violated, and I urge all partners to keep to that ceasefire so that airspace can open up and commercial flights can resume.

T3. Many of my constituents have raised concerns about the use of RAF Akrotiri to support Israel’s military activity in Gaza. Given the rapidly developing situation with Iran, can Ministers assure this House that British arms and military bases will not be likewise implicated in any further escalations of that conflict?

I cannot comment on hypotheticals, but I can assure my hon. Friend that we will do all we can to protect our assets and our troops in the region and always to stay within international law.

T2. The UN children in conflict report showed that violence against children increased by 25% last year, and that does not even include what is going on this year. The Israeli Government are listed as the most prolific perpetrator of grave violations against children for the second year running, making Gaza the most dangerous place on earth to be a child. What specific steps is the Foreign Secretary taking to protect children in conflict in Gaza and elsewhere, such as in Somalia and Haiti?

The hon. Lady raises vital questions about the status of children in Gaza. In response to one of her colleagues, I set out some of the measures that we have taken already. Clearly, children in Gaza, like all civilians there, are under the most enormous pressure at the moment, and aid getting in is a vital next step. Where children from Gaza are outside the region, in particular in Egypt and Jordan, we have provided support to them there. In a very limited set of cases where specialist medical attention is possible only from the UK, we have brought children from Gaza to the UK.

T5. Almost daily we hear reports of Israeli forces opening fire near aid distribution sites in Gaza. People cannot even access basic food supplies without risking their lives. Given the horrific level of suffering that we can all see taking place, is it not time to end all arms sales to Israel and to recognise the state of Palestine?

I want to reassure my hon. Friend that we have banned the sale of arms that could be used in Gaza, and we liaise with the French and the Saudi Arabians, despite the suspension of their conference. I think the intention is to resume in September.

T4. At the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday, the Minister for the overseas territories, the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), was unable to give clear guarantees about the future of the Chagos marine protected area once the sovereignty of the Chagos islands is surrendered to Mauritius. Does the Foreign Secretary accept that his Chagos surrender deal does not currently secure the marine environment, and that a future environmental protection agreement may result in the UK paying even more money to Mauritius?

It is a shame that the hon. Gentleman’s question takes that tone; I thought we had a very constructive conversation yesterday, and I took on board the points made by him and by the Chair of the Committee, my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry). I assure the hon. Gentleman that the marine protected area is a key part of our agreement with Mauritius, and this Government are committed to protecting our oceans and natural resources globally.

T6. Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, said in March that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, as did the UN atomic energy agency. However, a day before a conference on recognising Palestine, Israel decided unilaterally that Iran had a nuclear weapon, and that there was an immediate threat of attack; it therefore bombed Iran. Israel’s illegal bombing was a distraction from the shooting and killing of starving Palestinians, and to prevent the recognition of the state of Palestine. Can I ask the Minister—

Order. Questions should be short and punchy—quick, quick.

What steps is the Minister taking to stop the killing of Palestinians, and to recognise the state of Palestine?

It is important to recognise that in our country, at Sizewell and at Urenco, uranium is enriched at between 3% and 5%. The International Atomic Energy Agency has found 60% enrichment in Iran. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we are doing all we can diplomatically to get a negotiated settlement on that problem. Of course, we continue to press for aid to the Palestinians.

T10. Ministers have collectively restated their commitment to a two state solution in the Israel Palestine conflict, but only one of those states is currently recognised. I believe there is support in this House for recognition of Palestine, and that if the matter were put to a vote, that support would be expressed. Would that not strengthen Ministers’ hand, and will they bring the issue to a vote?

We have discussed these issues many times. Earlier, an hon. Friend asked me why, when Ministers say things at the Dispatch Box, they do not happen. The view of this House on the question of a two state solution is clearly very important, but it is the job of Foreign Office Ministers to try to make it a reality in practice, through diplomacy.

T7. Does the Minister join me in welcoming the ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced by President Trump, and although the situation clearly remains fragile, does he see an opportunity to restore stability and develop a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear programme—one that ensures that Iran never has access to nuclear weapons?

Yes, I do.

Earlier this month, the US President ordered the brutal Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles, and called those protesting against these raids “paid insurrectionists” and “criminal invaders”. A few days later, a gunman assassinated Democratic politician Melissa Hortman. In recent months, figures associated with the US President have spread disinformation and polarising rhetoric via social media, even targeting a Government Minister. I am sure that the Secretary of State agrees that this level of political violence—

Order. This is topical questions; I have to get other people in. Questions are meant to be short and punchy. Please, let us now hear a quick answer from the Foreign Secretary.

Just as the hon. Gentleman would not expect members of Congress or the Senate to comment on domestic issues in our country, I am not going to stray into domestic issues in the US. It remains the closest of allies.

T8. I pay tribute to the Foreign Secretary and his team for all their diplomatic efforts on de escalation in the middle east. With the rules based order under enormous strain, upholding international law and multilateral institutions matters more than ever. It is almost a year since the International Court of Justice handed down its judgment on the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Given that senior Government Ministers received advice last year on the implications of that judgment for the UK, when can we expect the Government’s response?

I recognise the appetite in the Chamber to hear more about the ICJ advisory opinion. It was a far reaching and complex judgment, and we are taking our time with our response.

What practical steps can the Government take to support women and girls in Afghanistan who, after a period of being encouraged to liberate themselves, are now cast back into domestic servitude?

This is an incredibly important question. As I think some in the House know, I negotiated with the Taliban when I was an official. It is a source of incredible personal frustration to me that the situation in Afghanistan for women has got worse and worse as the months have drawn on. The Taliban need to change course, not just on the rights of women, but for the viability of their economy and their country.

T9. I thank the Minister for the Indo Pacific, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Friern Barnet (Catherine West), for her support for the family of Simone White, who tragically died last year after drinking a free vodka shot in Laos. I hear worrying reports that the hostel where that happened is due to reopen shortly under another name. What assurance can the Minister give me and the family that everything is being done to hold those involved accountable, and to keep travellers safe from the dangers of methanol poisoning?

I thank my hon. Friend for his hard work for his constituents. I met Simone’s family on 14 May and, as he is aware, I met the Minister responsible in Vientiane. I will raise my hon. Friend’s point today, as a result of this question.

Holyhead Towing in my constituency has vessels in the middle east, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The company is keeping its crew updated to the best of its knowledge. What official advice or guidance is available for UK maritime operators working in the region?

As I have said before, travel advice is the surest and most regularly updated advice for British nationals in the region. We changed the travel advice yesterday for Qatar, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced in the House. We hope, as he has said this morning, that there will now be greater stability in the region, that the ceasefire will hold, and that British nationals in the region will not be so concerned. Travel advice is the best place to look.

The all party parliamentary group for Africa, which I chair, recently published its report on Africa’s just energy transition to accessible and renewable clean energy. What assessment has the Minister made of the report’s nine recommendations, including the recommendation on reforming carbon markets so that they work in Africa’s interests, and the recommendation on ensuring that international development funding is blended with private sector funding for investment in that transition?

May I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend on her recent elevation? I thank her for her work on the APPG, and I assure her that we will review her report as part of our new Africa approach.

Dame Karen Pierce is one of our most senior and experienced diplomats, and I very much welcome her appointment as an envoy to the western Balkans, but since her appointment, we have heard precious little about the western Balkans from the Foreign Secretary’s Department. Can he reassure this House that we have not lost interest in the western Balkans?

Having been to the region twice—I am going back soon, within the next six weeks—I assure the right hon. Gentleman that we have absolutely not lost interest. Dame Karen Pierce is at the centre of that, alongside the Berlin process, which we will host later this year.

We recently agreed the successful UK India trade deal, but FCDO co ordination with India on crisis diplomacy has never been more important, particularly following the recent terrorist attack, the Air India plane crash and human rights concerns, including about the case of Jagtar Singh Johal. Can the Secretary of State explain how security co operation and consular support are being pursued in the light of the trade deal?

May I first say how deeply shocked and saddened we all were by the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad? The Foreign Secretary visited India in his first month in office, and since then, we have agreed the groundbreaking technology security initiative and the free trade agreement, as my hon. Friend said. On human rights issues and the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, I will meet my hon. Friend the Member for West Dunbartonshire (Douglas McAllister), who represents the family, hopefully this week or next, when our diaries can align.

What does it say to Britain’s allies, and to our enemies, when neither the Foreign Secretary nor the Prime Minister can bring themselves to say that the strikes again Iran were right and legal?

I have spoken to Secretary of State Rubio every single week that I have been in office. The Prime Minister and the President of the United States have the best of relationships. That is a signal of how well our special relationship is working.

The Iranian regime hangs gay people from cranes. It funds and arms terror groups, and arms Vladimir Putin. A regime such as that must never have nuclear weapons. What will the Foreign Secretary do to prevent it from ever achieving its goals?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for reminding us of the horrendous human rights record of this regime, a regime that is the worst sponsor of state terrorism in the world.

Can the Foreign Secretary declare from the Dispatch Box that an Iran with no nuclear weapons is now a more likely prospect as a result of the actions of the Israeli and American forces over the past 10 days?

I recognise the point that the hon. Gentleman has made, but let me make this clear to him. Once a country has acquired the ability to enrich uranium to 60%, that scientific knowledge is there and does not go away. Ultimately, this will require a diplomatic solution. That is what President Trump is pushing for, and that is what the UK Government want to see as well.

The postponed French Saudi conference on a two state solution may take place as early as next month. Does the Minister think it will provide the significant opportunity that he seeks for us to recognise Palestine as a state, alongside UK allies?

We are talking to the French and the Saudis about their plans. Obviously events in the middle east are moving quickly, but I recognise the force of what my hon. Friend has said.

Cousin marriage is often used as a cover for forced marriage. Have the Government raised the issue of the incredibly high rate of first cousin marriage with the Pakistani Government, given that so many of those marriages are between UK and Pakistani nationals?

As the right hon. Gentleman probably knows, I was in Pakistan recently, and we discussed a range of human rights issues.

The Foreign Secretary will be aware that Colombia and South Africa, as co chairs of the Hague Group, have called an emergency ministerial conference in defence of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, to take place in Bogotá in July. Countries across the world are confirming their attendance. Will the UK Government send a representative, and join nations around the world in standing up for international law?

My hon. Friend will recognise that we, alongside our partners throughout the global community, continue to raise serious issues relating to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, and of course I will look in detail at the conference to which he has referred.

Melia, Gvaramia, Badri Japaridze, Khazaradze, Zurab Japaridze and Vashadze: all six opposition leaders arrested over the last two weeks in Georgia. What are the British Government going to do about it, and what is the message from the British Government to the Georgian people, who are suffering as a result of this huge democratic backsliding?

The Georgian people have made clear their Euro Atlantic aspirations. We absolutely condemn not only those arrests of opposition politicians, but the closing down of civil society space. I have communicated my concerns directly to Georgian Dream in recent weeks, and will be doing so again.