Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador will commence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister confirmed the appointment of Lord Mandelson to be the next British Ambassador to the United States of America on Friday 20 December. He started the role on 10 February 2025.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister has spoken to Vice President Vance of the United States since the latter took office, and if not, when he plans to do so.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 26 January and congratulated him on his inauguration.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have discussed the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States with the Trump administration since President Trump took office, and whether the Prime Minister and President Trump have discussed this appointment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 26 January, and the Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary of State Rubio on 27 January. Lord Mandelson is going through the normal onboarding processes for a new Ambassador, and we expect him to take up his new post in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend an invitation for a state visit to President Trump.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 26 January and congratulated him on his inauguration. The Prime Minister and President Trump discussed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and US and agreed to meet in-person in the near future. Any travel will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 24 October (HL1546), whether they discussed the marine protected area of the Chagos Islands during their negotiations with the government of Mauritius; and if so, what assurances were given.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations covered discussions on environmental protections in the Chagos Archipelago, including of the Marine Protected Area. The UK and Mauritius committed to cooperating on combatting environmental threats such as illegal fishing, with a shared objective of protecting one of the world's most important marine environments. This will include the establishment of a new Mauritian Marine Protected Area.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timetable for ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is fully committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), which is in line with our determination to reinvigorate the UK's wider international leadership on climate and nature. Work is in hand on the measures needed to implement the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement before we can ratify.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances they sought from the government of Mauritius during negotiations on the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands; and what commitments were made.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The agreement announced by the UK and Mauritius on 3 October concerning the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago is subject to the finalisation of a treaty. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the detail of the Treaty prior to ratification, in the usual way.