Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Boris Johnson and Ben Howlett

Tuesday 28th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Boris Johnson]

With great respect to the right hon. Gentleman, I have made very clear what I thought was the profound absurdity of denouncing Israeli conduct in that region at a time when we are seeing absolute barbarism conducted by the Assad regime against the people of Syria.

[Ben Howlett (Bath) (Con)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the strength of relations between Poland and the UK.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Boris Johnson and Ben Howlett

Tuesday 21st February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Ben Howlett (Bath) (Con)]

T3. Bath has a great local charity called GlobalARRK, which helps women who are stuck overseas, often facing domestic violence. What is my right hon. Friend doing to help stuck parents who are unable to return to their home country with their children?

[Boris Johnson]

My hon. Friend will know that we have a programme to support the return of children whose parents are stuck in the wrong country. We do it through our—oh, what is it? We do it through our proper processes in making use of all our consular services.

US Immigration Policy

Debate between Boris Johnson and Ben Howlett

Monday 30th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Boris Johnson]

We will, of course, do everything we can to help the party of schoolchildren that the hon. Lady refers to and to make sure that they have a great trip to the US. If there are any difficulties with their visas, we will assist. As for the Arab Muslim minority in her constituency, of course we must speak up for them and defend their interests and rights. That is why we have made the points that we have about the needs of duals and the needs of UK passport holders.

[Ben Howlett (Bath) (Con)]

I commend my right hon. Friend for his statement of condemnation. Is he aware of the speech in 1940 in which Winston Churchill said:

“Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last”,

in reference to the countries that remained neutral in the war? The dangerous trend towards nationalism, which we have not seen since the 1930s, inflicting itself on the western world has wrongly been defined as populism. It is clear that this Executive order needs to be condemned. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that the House must make its stand, here and now, for the weight of history stands on our shoulders?

[Boris Johnson]

I completely agree that we must stand up against bigotry and nationalism, but I do draw the line at the comparison that has been made relentlessly this afternoon between the elected Government of our closest and most important ally—a great democracy—and the anti-democratic, cruel and barbaric tyrannies of the 1930s. Continually to use the language of appeasement demeans the horror of the 1930s and trivialises our conversation.