Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Debate between Chris Elmore and Alan Gemmell

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore]

I thank the hon. Lady for her various questions. I agree with her on food security and I hope she knows the importance that the Government, and particularly the development Minister, place on that. She is right to challenge me on ODA funding. We do not agree, however. We have made difficult decisions in relation to defence spending and ensuring that the defence of this country is a first and clear priority. We have 0.3%, and we have set out on multiple occasions that the ambition is to return to 0.7%. I am not going to set out a timeframe for that from the Dispatch Box. I talked in my statement about the priorities around the G20, and I said that CHOGM was the first in a series of events, including COP, that the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister will be in attendance for as we build towards the G20. I can confirm to the hon. Lady that we have allocated additional support in relation to pressures around El Niño. She is right to mention this, and the UK Government will always be supportive of tackling the climate crisis, however we are able to.

[Alan Gemmell (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement. He may not know that I am a former chief executive of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, which is responsible for the business forum. I hear that that was a great success this year, and I want to put on record my congratulations to Sam Cohen, its chief exec, and her team. If the Minister is keen to do a teach-in for the shadow Foreign Secretary on his learnings from India and Nigeria and our relationships with the Commonwealth, I would be very happy to join. Does the Minister agree that trade should be at the heart of our Commonwealth relationships, and that with such a trusted network of 56 countries with shared values, we should be supercharging trade around the Commonwealth and improving the lives and jobs of the nearly 3 billion people who are Commonwealth citizens?

Cuba: Humanitarian Situation

Debate between Chris Elmore and Alan Gemmell

Monday 8th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. As I said in my opening remarks, this is the 30th year in which the UK Government have objected to the embargo, and we will continue to do so. We work through the United Nations on humanitarian aid relief to ensure that direct support reaches the Cuban people.

[Alan Gemmell (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his response. The situation in Cuba is very worrying. Can he set out what the UK Government are doing to ensure that aid reaches those who need it?

[Chris Elmore]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the wider humanitarian concerns. I can reassure him that, through the World Food Programme and UNICEF, the UK Government continue to provide aid. We are a major contributor to the UN’s central emergency response fund, which ensures that the Cuban people are supported through disaster response efforts, as well as efforts in relation to the latest challenges.