Gaza: UN Commission of Inquiry Report
Debate between Lord Callanan and Lord Kennedy of Southwark
Lord Grocott (Lab)
My Lords, it is time for this side. The Front Benches do not come first.
Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, we can get both noble Lords in, whichever goes first.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, to nobody’s surprise, it has been reported that the Government are going to proceed with recognition of the state of Palestine, probably this weekend. While I accept that it was not their intention, this decision has been warmly welcomed by Hamas and its supporters, who regularly wave their flags on the streets near this place. Can the Minister tell the House why, when they originally announced this dramatic change of policy, they imposed lots of impossible-to-meet conditions on the State of Israel but none on Hamas, not even the release of the dozens of hostages still languishing in the dungeons of Gaza?
Gibraltar-Spain Border Checks
Debate between Lord Callanan and Lord Kennedy of Southwark(11 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, I remind the House that it is 10 minutes of Questions now.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, Gibraltar is our gem in the Mediterranean, our strategic asset and, most importantly, a proud member of the British family of nations. Last Friday’s reports that the Spanish police were insisting on stamping passports and border checks are concerning. Let me be clear: whether this was due to a local Spanish border official and not the central Government, as the Minister for Development said in the other place, there should not be checks at the Gibraltar-Spain border. Can the Minister outline what steps His Majesty’s Government are taking to ensure that this does not happen again? Crucially, what discussions has the Foreign Secretary had with his Spanish counterparts on this matter?
The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation has reported a statement from the Spanish Foreign Minister that, for the UK-EU relationship to strengthen, it is important that the British Government say yes to Spain’s proposals on Gibraltar. This is concerning, as it seems to be a thinly veiled threat: “Accept our terms over Gibraltar or lose out”. Can the Minister assure this House that he will not abandon the people of Gibraltar and their desire to remain British? This incident at the Gibraltar-Spain border comes only a week after the decision to hand over our sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. Some might say that this is a coincidence, but it is easy to see the links. I ask the Minister to reassure this House in no uncertain terms that Gibraltar’s sovereignty is for the people of Gibraltar to decide and no one else.