Strait of Hormuz: Merchant Shipping

Lord Hannay of Chiswick Excerpts

Monday 20th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

I can confirm that it has been government policy for a considerable period to restore aid, as and when the conditions allow, to 0.7%. There is nothing new in that. I heard what the Prime Minister said about his commitment to defence in his speech, so we will see what happens. As I say, it is government policy, as it stands, to restore aid to 0.7% and the Prime Minister made clear his commitment to defence in the remarks he made outside Downing Street. I think that is the answer for the noble Lord.

[Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)]

My Lords, will the Minister confirm that, for nearly 30 years after the signature and entry into force of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea—to which we all subscribe and which considers the Strait of Hormuz to be an international waterway—it was possible to sustain that in the face of Iran not so agreeing, but not by using force? Could that not be an element in a diplomatic approach to this which would cover the extremely important issue of Iran’s nuclear programmes as well, both of which need to be resolved if there is to be peace and security in that region?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes an interesting and important point. The commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is an important restatement of the fundamental principle, not only in the Middle East but across the world, of the freedom of navigation. It is an extremely important point and the noble Lord is right to remind us of it. That remains our policy objective with respect to the Strait of Hormuz. It is an international waterway; it should be free and the freedom of navigation should operate there. On the noble Lord’s other point about nuclear, I reread the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, and, for me, that could have been followed through to start addressing many issues, including the nuclear issue that he referred to.