Taiwan
Debate between Lord Lemos and Lord Bruce of Bennachie
Lord Lemos (Lab)
My Lords, as I said, our long-standing position has not changed. The UK maintains strong unofficial links with Taiwan in trade, education, and science and innovation. We think those are the ways in which we can continue to help and support Taiwan and its resilience. For example, we conduct annual trade talks and semiconductor and energy dialogues. The most recent of those was in November 2025. We also have frequent ministerial visits. My right honourable friend Douglas Alexander visited Taiwan last year. In his recent visit to China—this goes to the point the noble Baroness made—the Prime Minister continued to advocate for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, emphasising that the UK opposes any unilateral changes in the status quo. He raised those points directly with President Xi.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)
My Lords, Taiwan has built an impressive democracy over the past 20 years and set up its own foundation for democracy along the lines of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which also works there. However, the reality for Taiwan is that its democracy will survive only as long as it survives and is not incorporated into China. No “one country, two systems” model is now available, given the destruction of that model that has been wreaked upon Hong Kong. What are the Government doing with others to ensure that China is fully deterred from taking any action against Taiwan?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
As I said, we do not support anyone taking unilateral action in Taiwan. As the noble Lord knows, we work closely with our partners and allies on this. We are aware of Taiwan’s strategic importance to global trade in maritime movement of goods and semiconductors, and therefore not only in relation to democratic values and the points that the noble Lord raises. We are very conscious indeed of the importance of Taiwan and we take that into account in not only our bilateral work with it but our relations with our partners and allies.
Palestinian Refugees
Debate between Lord Lemos and Lord Bruce of Bennachie(4 months, 1 week ago)
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Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness for that question. As I have said, the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine does not alter the status of Palestinian refugees, and the question of refugee status remains a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. We are deeply concerned to hear the accusations about UNRWA staff involved in 7 October 2023, and we welcome its commitment to fully investigate allegations against its employees and the continued implementation of the Colonna report’s recommendations to ensure neutrality and integrity.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)
As long as Israel maintains its occupation of Gaza and the consolidation and illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the reality of a Palestinian state remains completely distant. As permanent members of the Security Council, what are Britain and France doing together to try to ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state and the resolution of the refugee problem?
UK-Norway Defence Agreement: Impact in Scotland
Debate between Lord Lemos and Lord Bruce of Bennachie(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lord Lemos (Lab)
I agree with my noble friend that this deal provides long-term security for shipbuilding in Scotland, and I am proud of the role that our Government have played in helping to secure that. The Type 26 programme is vital to the national security of the UK as well as to the UK and Scottish economy, and to our allies. As such, it draws on a wider supply chain from across Scotland, including the excellent work carried out in the Ferguson shipyard. I agree with my noble friend that investment in apprenticeships and skills development is crucial. As for the SNP, they do not know what they are missing by not being in your Lordships’ House.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)
My Lords, the order by the Norwegians shows that they value Scotland’s skills in the defence sector rather more, as the noble Baroness has said, than the Scottish Government do. However, at a time when we face Russian aggression, does this not prove that Scotland’s interests lie best in being part of the United Kingdom defence and security pact? Will the Scottish and UK Governments work together to secure and build the skills base that will secure our future, and recognise that these submarines are there to help to defend Scotland’s interests as well as the UK’s?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I entirely agree with the noble Lord’s point. This deal is really important, not just economically but for enhancing our strategic and security priorities in the northern flank of NATO—and noble Lords do not need the most junior member of the Front Bench in the House of Lords to tell them how important that is.
Skills are an important area. Investment is important in defence procurement too, but we have to get the skills right, and the running down of skills in this area has been a real problem. This Government have a £182 million skills package, which was announced in the defence industrial strategy, to develop the necessary skills for the defence sector, including the defence universities alliance, an apprenticeship and graduate clearing programme—I have already made the point about apprenticeships—and Destination Defence, and establishing five defence technical excellence colleges. I hope that shows this Government’s commitment. I should add that we are investing directly alongside the Scottish Government.
El Fasher
Debate between Lord Lemos and Lord Bruce of Bennachie
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. We are very concerned about religious violence in Sudan, and indeed anywhere else in the world, and we certainly have sought to engage with the RSF on this. As the noble Lord knows, this conflict has a long history. I visited Sudan myself many years ago.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)
My Lords, Darfur has been a horrific conflict for decades and, as the noble Lord rightly said, we have not talked about it enough. However, a massacre based on rape, pillage and ethnic cleansing if El Fasher fell has been widely predicted for months. It is now happening, but all we are doing is passing resolutions and engaging in discussions. What are we actually going to do to protect civilians? What action will the Government take—or what is the point of being the penholder?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. As I said, we too have been urging action for the duration of this conflict, and we are very pleased with the efforts of the Quad. The most important priority, as set out in the Quad statement, is that we must have humanitarian access. The problem is not funds; the problem is access.