Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Debate between Chris Elmore and Chris Vince(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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Chris Elmore
It is a matter of record that Ministers, including me—I am the ministerial lead on freedom of religion or belief—frequently raise with other countries the abuses of people of Christian and other faiths. I cannot comment on the individual conversations the Prime Minister has had, but I assure the House that these issues, including on all the various human rights abuses that take place internationally, are raised at the highest levels.
Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)
I thank the Minister for his statement. Like everyone across the House, I find it deplorable that any person can think they have the right to own another person and treat them like property, whether that is a historical or current injustice. What conversations has the Minister had with our Commonwealth allies about defence and security, which my Harlow constituents take very seriously? As I visited the BBC World Service recently, may I emphasise its importance to our soft power and influence?
Chris Elmore
My hon. Friend is quite right to raise the importance of defence and national security, particularly in relation to the Caribbean and other parts of the Commonwealth. He is also right—as the Minister within the Foreign Office responsible for the World Service, I wholeheartedly agree with him—about tackling disinformation. The investment we were able to secure during the spending review round to tackle Russian and other state interference, as well as misinformation, is absolutely crucial to the wider work of the Commonwealth and beyond.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Chris Elmore and Chris Vince(2 months, 1 week ago)
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Chris Elmore
Let me be clear: any attempt by a foreign state to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm individuals on UK soil will never be tolerated, but the hon. Lady knows as well as I do that there is a live investigation by the Metropolitan police. Members of this House should respect the fact that the Metropolitan police are investigating. Frankly, she knows better, and I hope that she will wait for the investigation. That is when we will listen to what it has to say.
Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)
I thank the Minister for his comments about the terrible floods in Nepal. A number of residents in my constituency have lost family in the region, and they will be listening to what the Government have to say on the issue.
What work is the Minister doing with Cabinet colleagues to tackle the important issue of online disinformation? We know that a lot of that disinformation comes from bad state actors.
Chris Elmore
My hon. Friend will know that we work across Government to tackle disinformation. Within my portfolio we have increased funding for the BBC World Service, which is the most trusted newscaster across the world. That is a way in which the Foreign Office tackles disinformation.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Chris Elmore and Chris Vince(1 year ago)
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Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore)
My hon. Friend is a long-standing advocate of polio eradication. The UK is a long-time supporter of the initiative and we have confirmed a £1.25 billion pledge to Gavi for 2026-30. Other spending, including on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, is being reviewed as part of the spending review and the official development assistance allocation process, which will be decided in due course.