Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to coordinate action to end a) settler violence and b) settlement expansion in the West Bank with other states that have recognised Palestine as a state.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers I gave on this issue in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office oral questions on 3 March, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and fourteen of her overseas counterparts on 24 December condemning the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-israeli-settlement-expansion-in-the-west-bank
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to engage with a) members of the Sudan Quad and b) other states on coordinated action to i) prevent atrocities, ii) facilitate aid access and iii) support progress towards peace in Sudan since the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America on 18 November 2025.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided by the Foreign Secretary during departmental questions on 2 December, and to the statement she made to the House on 18 November. We will make further updates to the House in due course, and we keep all factors under review in our assessment of the situation in Sudan.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to coordinate with a) the co-signatories of the Joint Statement Condemning Atrocities and Violations of International Humanitarian law in Sudan, published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on 10 November 2025, and b) other states on atrocity prevention in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided by the Foreign Secretary during departmental questions on 2 December, and to the statement she made to the House on 18 November. We will make further updates to the House in due course, and we keep all factors under review in our assessment of the situation in Sudan.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
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 potential impact of weather conditions projected over the next three months in Sudan on a) atrocity risks and b) humanitarian access in that country.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided by the Foreign Secretary during departmental questions on 2 December, and to the statement she made to the House on 18 November. We will make further updates to the House in due course, and we keep all factors under review in our assessment of the situation in Sudan.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help deter extremist settler violence in the West Bank; and whether she has considered (a) targeted sanctions against individuals and organisations implicated in attacks and (b) the use of travel bans and asset freezes against leading figures within the settler movement.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the Palestinian economy, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 29 October to Question 81795, and on the issue of illegal settlements, I refer him to the answer given on 3 July to Question 62975.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the impact of Israeli economic restrictions on the Palestinian economy and people.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the Palestinian economy, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 29 October to Question 81795, and on the issue of illegal settlements, I refer him to the answer given on 3 July to Question 62975.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help support the economic recovery and development of Palestine.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the Palestinian economy, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 29 October to Question 81795, and on the issue of illegal settlements, I refer him to the answer given on 3 July to Question 62975.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor levels of political (a) violence and (b) persecution in Bangladesh; and what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in Bangladesh on those issues.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights globally. We are closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and held discussions about the importance of human rights with Chief Adviser Yunus, and Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain. In February, UK Human Rights Ambassador Eleanor Sanders visited Bangladesh and met senior government officials to discuss justice, accountability and fundamental freedoms.
To support democratic resilience, and reduce political tensions, the UK funded Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme aims at safeguarding civic space, encouraging political cooperation, tackling corruption and mitigating violence. We continue to stress to the Government, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and rule of law.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing sanctions on Israel Katz in the context of his proposals for the Gazan population in Rafah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 21 July, Minister Katz's proposal is a cruel vision that must never come to pass. We condemn it unequivocally. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.
Sanctions can be used to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We use sanctions when they complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing sanctions on (a) Itamar Ben Gvir and (b) Bezalel Smotrich.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the 10 June 2025, together with international partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, we announced measures against Israeli government ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. We sanctioned these individuals in their personal capacity as a result of their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Both will be subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification. We have long been clear that Israel must cease expansion of illegal settlements which undermine a future Palestinian state. It is right that we, along with international partners, demonstrate our commitment to ensuring they are held accountable for encouraging and inciting human rights abuses. Our joint statement made clear our commitment to continuing a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on shared ties and values. We remain committed to a two-state solution which ensures a safe and secure future for Israelis and Palestinians.