Trial of Jimmy Lai

Debate between Brendan O'Hara and Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Monday 18th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Brendan O’Hara (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)]

I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for securing this urgent question, and Lord Alton, Baroness Kennedy and the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for their continuing and unwavering support for Jimmy Lai, who, as a UK national, is entitled to expect much more support from the Government than he has thus far received.

A 76-year-old pro-democracy campaigner in ailing health has been imprisoned for more than 1,000 days on trumped-up charges, yet it was only yesterday that his Government finally called for him to be released. I hope that I have misunderstood the Minister, but are we to believe that the UK’s influence is so diminished that we cannot get access to Mr Lai in prison? Will she detail what practical support is being given to him now that his show trial has started, and will she give a cast-iron guarantee that, in the event that Beijing gets the verdict that it is looking for, the Government will proactively come to this House to make a statement on what action they intend to take, rather than having it dragged out of them through another urgent question?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

I will not reiterate my previous answer on the subject of consular access and the challenges that we face in being able to support Jimmy Lai in that way. I reiterate the hon. Member’s point that many colleagues across the House have been ardent champions and supporters of Jimmy Lai, and indeed of his family as they seek to ensure that his case is understood across the world. We will continue to call for Jimmy Lai’s release. The national security law needs to be repealed. Those are messages that we will continue to highlight with the authorities at every possible opportunity.

Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 15) Regulations 2022

Debate between Brendan O'Hara and Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Monday 14th November 2022 General Committees

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

I thank Committee members, and I thank the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green for her insightful and generous support for what we are doing. I will do my best to answer her questions. If I miss any, I apologise; my team will write to her with any details that I miss.

The OFSI annual report was released just last week, and it shows the value of the assets frozen since the start of Putin’s illegal invasion: over £18 billion of Russian assets have been reported to OFSI as being held by or on behalf of persons designated under the Russia sanctions regime. That is a gargantuan increase from the £44 million of assets reported as frozen a year ago. I think we all agree that that underlines the scale and impact of our response in targeting Putin and his regime. We will continue to monitor how, if we need to, we can do more.

On the question of LNG prohibitions, the last shipment of Russian LNG came into the UK on 2 March, and since then UK companies have effectively been self-sanctioning. I am proud that we are the first European country to sanction LNG. We hope that others will follow as they feel they can. Other countries are in a more difficult, energy-dependent situation. We are very fortunate. British companies have been very robust and have taken a strong stance, which is to be commended.

I hope that the measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will address some of the concerns about Companies House. Companies House reform will bear down on the use of thousands of UK companies and other corporate structures to facilitate international money laundering, including, as the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green mentioned, Russia-linked illicit finance and wider illegal activities.

[Brendan O’Hara (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)]

On money laundering, is the Minister aware that the BBC and Finance Uncovered recently revealed the use of English limited partnerships among Putin’s inner circle, and the fact that the oligarchs are almost undermining the sanctions regime by using them? Will she ask her officials what can be done to tighten up the loopholes in those partnerships? We guarantee cross-party support for the regulations, but we do have to tighten up these loopholes where they are identified.

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

The hon. Gentleman is right. Measures in the Bill will tackle the misuse of those limited partnerships. It will help to increase transparency and will force them off the register under specific conditions, but I take his challenge and we will continue to make sure that we are doing all we can. The Bill is a huge step forward and a key part of our wider Government approach to tackling economic crime.

The hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green is right that I would not dare to speak on behalf of His Majesty’s Treasury, but on the questions about OFSI and the staffing levels, the office has doubled in size in this financial year and will continue to grow to try to meet the challenges of the sanctions regime, the introduction of which we all support. The recruitment of new and permanent staff is continuing and we will keep a close eye on that. I know that the Treasury will too. There is a very clear focus on the human capital required to make sure that we can hold all of this in place.

On asset seizures specifically, we are considering all options for seizing Russia-linked assets that could be used to support the people of Ukraine, including to fund humanitarian efforts and contribute towards the reconstruction of the country, which will be a gargantuan effort. Law enforcement agencies can currently seize UK-based foreign assets with links to criminality or unlawful conduct through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The FCDO is working closely with other Government Departments and law enforcement agencies to identify all possible options to seize Russia-linked assets in the UK that could be used to pay for reconstruction. We will continue to explore all possible options to seize Russia-linked assets to pay those reconstruction costs while respecting our legal obligations and responsibilities.

The question about Crown dependencies was important, because we all want to ensure that sanctions are implemented effectively in our Crown dependencies and overseas territories. UK sanctions regimes apply in all UK Crown dependencies and overseas territories either by Orders in Council or through each jurisdiction’s legislation. Orders in Council make the necessary changes to ensure effective implementation of the measures and the UK Government are working regularly with the governors and elected leaders to discuss implementation and the impact of those sanctions.

I hope that that helps to answer the questions I have been asked. If I have missed anything, I apologise, and I know that my team of officials will make sure that we provide the answers. I hope that these measures give confidence that we continue our wave of sanctions, because we are determined to ensure that Putin feels the damaging consequences of his choice to invade a democratic state illegally. We are committed to going further and we will continue to do so until Putin ends this war of aggression. I commend the regulations to the Committee.

Question put and agreed to.