Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Tuesday 25th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Foreign Office questions without the voice of Sutton Coldfield would be like dinner without a main course; we cannot have it.

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

Many of us hope that my right hon. Friend will continue his brilliant work as Foreign Secretary for many years to come, but may I take him back to his earlier remarks about Sudan and the present position of the long-suffering people of Sudan? Will he ensure that the British Government do all they can to make certain that, in line with the International Criminal Court indictment of General Bashir and Salah Gosh—two people who have been identified as perpetrators of mass atrocities in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan—they are held to account and taken to The Hague as swiftly as possible?

Libya

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Monday 8th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I observe that there is considerable competition between cerebral colleagues—very challenging for the Chair. I call Andrew Mitchell.

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Minister is surely right that all members of the international community should line up behind the proposals put forward by António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Minister is equally right to underline the point that the earlier British intervention was a humanitarian intervention, approved by the United Nations, to stop a terrible massacre of people in Benghazi, which would have taken place had we not intervened.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Tuesday 2nd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

This Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the terrible genocide that took place in Rwanda, a country my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary knows well. The hon. Member for Wirral South (Alison McGovern), the noble Lord Popat and I will be at the ceremonies on Sunday in Kigali, representing our Parliament. Does my right hon. Friend think that the UN doctrine of the responsibility to protect—R2P—which has been so well developed by Gareth Evans, is yet sufficient to ensure that such terrible events could never take place again?

[Mr Speaker]

I hope the greatness of Gareth can be properly celebrated in the Chamber today.

Yemen

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Tuesday 26th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am very much hoping to move on no later than 1.30 pm, so brief questions and answers would be greatly appreciated.

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

The whole House will be grateful for the words of the Minister and the shadow Foreign Secretary about my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt). I have worked with him on international development matters for the last 14 years, and the Government can ill afford to lose such a capable Minister at a time like this.

The welcome change of direction on Yemen that the new Foreign Secretary has ushered in is greatly to be applauded, but there were exceedingly serious, credible and authoritative allegations in the Sunday media that serving British military personnel have been seriously wounded in operations in Yemen. That flies in the face of assurances given from the Dispatch Box on countless occasions, including in emergency debates that you have authorised, Mr Speaker. I tabled a number of questions last night to the Ministry of Defence, and were it not for the all-consuming nature of Brexit, I suspect the House would want to explore this as a matter of urgency.

Point of Order

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Monday 4th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Ordinarily points of order come after urgent questions and statements, but I have a sense that the right hon. Gentleman’s point of order relates to today’s business, and therefore I will take it and any related matters now.

[Mr Mitchell]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. You may recall that on 1 May 2018, in new clause 6 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, this House resolved that the overseas territories must establish registers of beneficial ownership by the end of 2020. It has recently come to our notice from statements made by a Foreign Office Minister in the other place that it is the Government’s intention arbitrarily to extend that date by no less than three years to the end of 2023, in a flagrant breach of what was agreed by this House.

That is made yet worse by the fact that, at the urging of the Foreign Office, the right hon. Member for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge), with whom I tabled new clause 6, only agreed to extend the date to the end of 2020 in view of the terrible damage done to many of the overseas territories in recent hurricanes and storms. The Hansard report of our proceedings makes that absolutely clear. Mr Speaker, how can this House seek your protection from the egregious sleight of hand being proposed by the Foreign Office?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Tuesday 26th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Distinction to be equalled only by brevity: I call Mr Andrew Mitchell.

[Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)]

Since 14 January there has been wholesale persecution by the military of the civilian population: documented cases of rape of civilians by the military, use of live rounds, and 17 civilians shot dead. Will the Minister make clear through our excellent new British high commissioner in Harare the terrible price Zimbabweans are paying for the economic mismanagement of their country and the subversion of the rule of law?

[Mr Speaker]

I think distinction is still a long way ahead.

European Council

Debate between Andrew Mitchell and John Bercow

Monday 17th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am not having the right hon. Gentleman shouted down. I say very gently to a Government Whip, do not stand near the Chair and shout at your colleagues. If you are going to do that, leave the Chamber and we will manage perfectly adequately without you.

[Mr Mitchell]

Does my right hon. Friend not think it would be wiser to seek an extension to article 50, rather than to leave with no deal?