Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what implications have heightened tensions in Yemen had to the free flow of trade through the Suez Canal and Red Sea.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent tensions in Southern Yemen. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with international partners on coordinated responses to the suppression of protests in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent protests in Iran. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the role of the Iranian security forces in responding to recent protests.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent protests in Iran. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Iranian counterpart on the treatment of protesters in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent protests in Iran. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has spoken with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on support for Guyana in light of (a) ongoing instability in Venezuela and (b) Venezuela’s territorial ambitions in Guyana.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate. Furthermore, let me point out the Essequibo border was settled more than 125 years ago, through international arbitration. The UK's support for Guyana's sovereignty is unwavering. We will continue to work with allies and regional partners to avoid escalation in tensions on the Venezuela/Guyana border.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications of the arrest of Nicolás Maduro for Venezuela’s territorial ambitions in Guyana.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate. Furthermore, let me point out the Essequibo border was settled more than 125 years ago, through international arbitration. The UK's support for Guyana's sovereignty is unwavering. We will continue to work with allies and regional partners to avoid escalation in tensions on the Venezuela/Guyana border.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support was agreed with his Bahraini counterpart for the future Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain during the UK Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the UK-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November, the UK thanked Bahrain for hosting our regional naval base, and there was mutual reference to the importance of our continuing cooperation on maritime security. The UK signed an updated Defence Cooperation Agreement with Bahrain in the summer of 2025, and at the same time completed accession to the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, becoming the third party to this agreement with the US and Bahrain.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of de-proscribing Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on the UK's foreign policy objectives in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to my statement on gov.uk marking the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and the written ministerial statement to both Houses on 22 October, which can be found respectively at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/minister-falconer-article-on-syria-anniversary-december-2025 and https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-10-22/hcws977
These set out, respectively, the UK's support for the efforts of the new Syrian government to build a more stable, inclusive and representative country and the decision that the Government came to on de-proscription.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of British Council office closures in Europe and North America on cultural and educational cooperation with the UK.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the level of additional funding needed to maintain British Council operations in all current locations.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.