Israel and Palestine
I strongly welcome today’s statement by the Foreign Secretary on Israel and Palestine.
Please read my statement below.
Debt Relief Roundtable with the Zambian High Commission
Today, I visited the Zambian High Commission, to speak to members of the African Union Heads of Mission about my Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Private Member’s Bill. The discussion provided a good opportunity to get together with civil society groups and High Commissioners, and work together on bringing the Bill to the forefront of debate on international development in the new parliamentary session.
Many low and middle-income countries are spending more on servicing their debt than on healthcare or education, at a time when the withdrawal of US development funding is leaving the poorest nations more exposed to crises than at any point in recent memory. My Bill seeks to regulate the recovery of sovereign debts owed by developing countries, preventing private creditors from using UK courts to extract full repayment from nations that have defaulted on unsustainable debt and agreed new repayment terms with bilateral or multilateral creditors, building on the principles established by the original Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 that was implemented by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
With the King’s Speech this week confirming that the Government will use next year’s G20 Presidency to drive global growth and reinforce global stability, I will be pressing for debt relief to be a central part of that agenda, and I look forward to reintroducing the Bill in this new parliamentary session.
Meeting with Director of Education Cannot Wait
It was great to meet with Maysa Jalbout, the new Director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, to discuss the UK’s ongoing commitment to children whose education has been disrupted by conflict, displacement, and climate disasters.
The UK is a founding donor of ECW and has committed £80 million over the period 2023 to 2026, making it the fund’s second-largest donor after Germany. Since its inception, ECW has reached 14 million children across 33 crisis-affected countries, with over half of them being girls.
At a time when more than 230 million school-age children worldwide are affected by crises, the work of ECW has never been more important. As Chair of the APPG for Global Education, I will continue to press for the UK to maintain its leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with parliamentarians and civil society leaders to ensure education in emergencies remains a priority as the UK prepares to host the G20 Summit next year.
Cyprus Statement
Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, please read my statement on the situation in Cyprus.
Cyprus APPG Briefing
In response to the situation in the Middle East, Stephen Doughty MP, the Minister for Europe, sat down with members of the APPG for Cyprus today to brief us on the Government’s action on Cyprus and the UK’s Sovereign Bases.
In response to the situation in the Middle East, Stephen Doughty MP, the Minister for Europe, sat down with members of the APPG for Cyprus today to brief us on the Government’s action on Cyprus and the UK’s Sovereign Bases.
I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss the cooperation and coordination of the UK with the Republic of Cyprus in keeping Cyprus, active British personnel, their families and British nationals safe. I was also pleased to receive confirmation that RAF Akrotiri is not being used for any defensive action and the US is not operating from Akrotiri.
I would like to offer reassurance to my constituents that the Government has taken all necessary measures to protect the security of Cyprus.
Advice for constituents stranded in the Middle East
The FCDO is providing support to British nationals in the Middle East.
Please register your presence in the region at http://www.contact.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/ or call the advice line on +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
Please follow FCDO travel advice: Foreign Office travel advice updates – GOV.UK
Letter to Foreign Secretary on Kurds in Syria
Please read my letter to the Foreign Secretary below.
Students from Gaza
Please see below the letter to the Prime Minister that I have signed to call for safe evacuation routes for Gazan students with scholarships in the UK.