Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Lammy and Fabian Hamilton

Tuesday 30th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lammy]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The director-general of the National Crime Agency has directed police chiefs to work with the Prison Service to jointly tackle the threat from criminal drones. We saw that recently in a large-scale joint operation that resulted in more than 200 arrests. He is absolutely right; that blocking technology is available to the system. I was in Doncaster visiting our specialist unit that does this work, often at night, to ensure that we are bringing down those drones.

[Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) (Lab)]

11. What steps he is taking to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission report entitled “Modernising Wills Law”, published on 16 May 2025.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Lammy and Fabian Hamilton

Tuesday 1st April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) (Lab)]

1. What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Syrian constitutional declaration, signed on 13 March 2025.

[The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr David Lammy)]

We welcome the provisions made in the constitutional declaration on freedom of expression, freedom of belief and women’s rights. We also welcome the announcement on the formation of the new Syrian Government. The UK stands ready to support an inclusive, stable and prosperous future for the people of Syria. We will continue to encourage inclusive governance and will work with the Syrian Government to that end.

[Fabian Hamilton]

I thank the Foreign Secretary for that reply. The fall of Assad was rightly welcomed by all Members of this House, but reports of mass killings of Christians and Alawites, which have now resulted in more than 1,500 civilian deaths, show that Syria is still a very unstable country. Will the Secretary of State therefore outline what support is being given to the new Syrian Government to prevent further violence and another appalling refugee crisis?

[Mr Lammy]

I can assure my hon. Friend that we are following steps closely. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Mr Falconer), will be meeting civil society groups today. My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton) will know that we have allocated £160 million to support recovery and stability through lifesaving and other such assistance. Clearly, the recent violence was incredibly horrific and alarming. We will continue to work with the new Government as best we can to ensure that we get the inclusive political transition that we all want to see.