Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore)]

I have no ambition in that direction, Mr Speaker, but thank you all the same. With permission, I will make a statement on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting held in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 to 4 November. The Prime Minister led the United Kingdom delegation, accompanied by the Foreign Secretary and me. We joined Heads of Government and more than 30 Foreign Ministers from member states across the organisation. His Majesty the King, as head of the Commonwealth, and Her Majesty the Queen also attended.

This was an important summit for the Commonwealth. At a time when the world is divided and uncertain, CHOGM reminded us of the value of the Commonwealth and what this enduring partnership of nations can achieve. It connects 56 countries and a third of the world’s people to address shared challenges and work together for practical solutions. This meeting also gave the United Kingdom an invaluable opportunity to strengthen important bilateral relationships and build coalitions around shared priorities.

The Prime Minister described CHOGM as the “most successful” Commonwealth meeting of recent times. We took forward important discussions on economic growth, democratic resilience, climate and ocean action, and the needs of small and vulnerable states. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Commonwealth charter and supported a Commonwealth that is more focused, effective and capable of delivering practical results.

I pay particular tribute to the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda, which is the smallest country ever to host CHOGM. Organising a summit of this scale was a mammoth task, but our hosts delivered it with warmth, energy and ambition. There could be no better summary than His Majesty’s words at the opening ceremony: “Small island, big vibes.”

The Caribbean setting brought into sharp focus the priorities of many Commonwealth members, particularly on growth, investment, climate resilience, debt and access to finance. This CHOGM placed greater emphasis than previous summits on trade and investment, which is in line with the UK’s approach. Governments, businesses and investors came together for the Commonwealth business forum, and for a dedicated investment summit to consider how the Commonwealth can become a modern economic partnership that mobilises private capital, removes barriers to trade and creates opportunities across all its members. The United Kingdom supported that ambition with a substantial package of practical measures. We announced a new partnership between British International Investment and the Inter-American Development Bank to unlock private investment across the Caribbean. We increased our support for the Commonwealth investment network, to help Commonwealth small island states attract climate-positive investment.

We announced a new resilient infrastructure programme worth up to £40 million, building on the UK Caribbean infrastructure fund. The new programme will support renewable energy and infrastructure that can withstand the growing effects of climate change. We announced initiatives worth up to £8.7 million through the global clean power alliance finance mission. Working with the World Bank, these measures will support cleaner and more resilient energy systems across the Caribbean.

We also signed a four-year partnership to support Jamaica’s National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority post Hurricane Melissa. This Government-to-Government partnership will support Jamaica in unlocking up to $6 billion of capital investment for resilient infrastructure, delivered with the expertise of world-leading UK firms, and could become a model for UK-supported reconstruction in the region and beyond. These initiatives will make a practical difference to our partners and their people. They can also create new opportunities for British investors, banks, insurers and professional services.

CHOGM was not a stand-alone diplomatic event; it formed part of the United Kingdom’s wider multilateral approach, and built momentum ahead of COP31 and our G20 presidency next year. The Commonwealth allows us to hear directly from countries that often struggle to have their voices heard. At CHOGM, we worked with partners on climate resilience, debt, development finance and reform of the international financial system. We were pleased that former Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined those discussions in Antigua, and we will carry those conversations forward into the major international meetings ahead.

Our aim is clear: a more representative international system that delivers growth, stability and opportunity, including for small and climate-vulnerable states. Democracy, good governance and the rule of law remain central to the Commonwealth. At CHOGM, we announced a partnership with Australia to protect parliamentarians from online abuse and support democratic participation. This will bring together technology, expertise and practical solutions, with a particular focus on the abuse faced by women in public life.

Formal leaders’ and ministerial meetings were only one part of CHOGM. The Foreign Secretary addressed a United Kingdom-supported event on blue finance and innovation, alongside the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting the need for ambitious action on green shipping, stronger ocean governance and protection, and scaling up blue finance.

I spoke at the Commonwealth women’s forum about our shared responsibility to combat violence against women and girls. I joined a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association panel on safeguarding democracy, alongside colleagues from Malta, the Commonwealth Secretariat and accredited organisations, and I was delighted to see a number of hon. Friends and colleagues in the audience. UK Ministers participated in discussions on small states, civil society, investment, climate finance and ocean protection. UK youth delegates participated in the Commonwealth youth forum, recognising that the Commonwealth’s future rests with young people. These events ensured that the summit gave voice to business, civil society, women and young people, as well as Governments.

We are clear on the value we place on strong relationships with Commonwealth partners, on facing down shared challenges together, on seizing opportunities together, and on sharing our values to build a safer world for all of us, but as the Prime Minister set out ahead of CHOGM, if we are to meet these challenges of the future, we need to be ready to face up to the past. For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the transatlantic slave trade have wanted an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery. Before the summit, the Prime Minister set out how this Government intend to respond to those calls. He expressed sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering caused, and offered a new, structured dialogue with Caribbean and African partners. This dialogue needs to be co-designed with partners affected, and will involve listening with respect. It will be time-bound and inclusive. It will consider remembrance, education, culture and calls for a formal apology, to which the Government are open. It will also look to the future and support practical co-operation on the challenges faced by affected partners today, though our position on financial reparations has not changed.

This approach was warmly received by partners. It helped create a positive and forward-looking discussion at the summit. It was welcomed in the CHOGM communiqué. Our focus now is on turning that solemn and sincere commitment into meaningful action.

This CHOGM gave the Commonwealth renewed energy. It showed that this diverse family of nations can work together on the issues that matter most to its people: jobs, investment, climate resilience, democracy and opportunity. It also demonstrated the kind of partner the United Kingdom wants to be: outward-looking, reliable and respectful. We listened to the Commonwealth members, strengthened relationships across the global south and backed our words with practical commitments. We will now work with our partners to deliver on those commitments, carry their priorities into international moments ahead, and ensure that the Commonwealth fulfils its potential as a modern network for practical co-operation. I commend this statement to the House.

[Mr Speaker]

Can I just say that, while I thank the Minister for coming, I would have thought that it would be the Foreign Secretary making a statement on such an important conference as CHOGM? But I thank the Minister for coming, and for being so open and honest. I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Tuesday 1st September 2026 Commons Chamber

[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.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

The new shadow Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat), is in Taipei, where Taiwan’s Defence Ministry has warned that an increasingly unpredictable China is intensifying preparations to blockade and encircle the island. That comes in the same week that the US exposed another extensive Chinese state-sponsored hacking operation against Government institutions and critical networks. With Beijing threatening Taiwan, targeting our allies and conducting espionage against this country, will the Foreign Secretary finally state plainly that China poses a threat to British interests, and will he place China in the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme?

Sudan

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 25th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore]

My right hon. Friend is a passionate advocate on this issue, and a former Minister for Development and for Africa. As I said in my statement, the Foreign Secretary has raised the matter directly with the UAE and a number of other countries. My right hon. Friend will know that we have issued sanctions in relation to Sudan, but we do not discuss additional sanctions on the Floor of the House. We are putting money in to offer additional support to help the people at El Obeid. We are working at the UN: there have been conversations between the Foreign Secretary and Secretary-General António Guterres as recently as Tuesday, and we have led the work on the UN fact-finding mission on what the RSF is doing. We are leading the work, ensuring that there is joined-up working to bring about a peaceful resolution. However, my right hon. Friend is right that the situation is absolutely horrendous.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)]

The International Development Committee heard from a war crimes investigator that the UK Government failed to act on repeated warnings of the looming genocidal massacre in El Fasher because their foreign policy had been captured by the United Arab Emirates. He claimed that the FCDO prioritised its economic security and diplomatic relationships with the UAE above preventing the intentional starvation, forced displacement and genocidal slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians.

The New York Times reported that Sheikh Mansour, Vice President of the UAE and owner of Man City, played a central role in arming the RSF. Given the UAE’s manifold interests in the UK, the public would expect the Government to call that out and act. Will they do so now? Will the Government amend the Independent Football Regulator’s remit to give it power to investigate and sanction football club owners suspected of involvement in human rights abuses? We are warned that El Obeid is facing a similar onslaught imminently, so will the Government finally, in their role as penholder at the UN Security Council, move to take consequential action against the UAE and any state arming belligerents in Sudan?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Brian Mathew (Melksham and Devizes) (LD)]

This morning, we held an informal International Development Committee meeting with Professor Wim de Villiers and Richard Gordon of the University of Stellenbosch on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The University of Stellenbosch’s disease identification unit has been involved in working on strategies to combat this outbreak, and the team commended the FCDO and its involvement so far from Pretoria, citing the £100,000 funding committed locally. They made the point that in a situation like this, being fleet of foot is vital, and that much can be done locally in Africa to develop diagnostics and monitoring of the disease and, in the medium term, vaccines. Can the Minister confirm that all is being done to further support these local responses and initiatives—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think the Minister has got the message.

[Chris Elmore]

The hon. Member is absolutely right to say that this should be an Africa-led response, and it is extremely important that we listen to what the African countries are telling us about how we respond to the Ebola outbreak. On investment in areas such as vaccinations, the Department of Health and the FCDO have invested £160 million in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to ensure that we are at the forefront of helping to develop vaccines. If the hon. Member would like to write to me further, he is very welcome to do so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 28th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

The Privileges Committee’s conclusions are crystal clear that the former Prime Minister knowingly misled this House and subsequently tried to intimidate the very Committee carrying out the inquiry he set up. Why did the Secretary of State not set an example and vote for the Privileges Committee’s report?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 21st June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Universities recently wrote a joint letter to the Secretary of State warning that his budget will force them to cut student places and will have a “fundamental and dangerous impact” on the future of Northern Ireland. Will the Minister carry out an assessment of the effect that a loss of student placements would have on Northern Ireland’s economy, so that the House can be fully informed of the long-term impacts of the budget?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 15th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Obviously, if we beat the Australians in the tests, that would be even better for young people. Let us go to Chris Elmore, a big cricketer.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

3. What her planned timetable is for the draft Media Bill.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 22nd March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

The Government have made some changes to the legacy Bill during its passage through this House. If the changes are not enough and all Northern Ireland parties vote against it again on its return to the House, will the Secretary of State commit to a different approach, as reconciliation cannot be imposed on Northern Ireland?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 24th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister, Chris Elmore.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

I warmly congratulate Channel 5 on turning 25, along with Channel 4 on turning 40 and, of course, one of our greatest institutions, the BBC, which is celebrating its centenary in 2022. This is becoming, without doubt, a milestone year for public sector broadcasting in the United Kingdom. While the Government have been playing games with the future of the BBC and Channel 4—and we welcome the extra funding for the World Service—their journalists have risked their lives to report the facts on the front line in Ukraine. Will the Secretary of State give an assurance that any future ownership decisions that she makes on Channel 4 will ensure that its in-depth, independent journalism will be protected beyond 2022?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Monday 21st March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I do not think it is becoming of anybody to condemn a Member of Parliament who has not been here for a long, long time. I do not really want to get into that, so we should think about what we say in future.

[Chris Elmore]

The Minister will know that, in my constituency, 88% of people will see their energy bills go up next week, more than 50% of whom are over the age of 64. What more will the Department do to ensure that older people in my constituency get more support with their energy bills? Simply ignoring the issue, or giving pensioners a loan to pay back, penalises people who do not have enough money to survive—it is heating or eating under this Tory Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 3rd March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Earlier this week, I had the privilege to meet the president of the Farmers Union of Wales, who has expressed concerns about both trade deals, specifically in relation to tonnage of imported meat and whether it will be on the bone or filleted, as this will make a significant difference to the scale of flooding of the UK market. The president tells me that he has been unable to get an answer from the Department on what he deems to be a pretty simple question. I used to be a butcher, and I know that there is a significant difference between the weight of something boned and something deboned when anyone buys it in the shops. In all seriousness, could the Secretary of State clarify this here at the Dispatch Box, or get in touch with the Farmers Union of Wales to confirm this important point in terms of supporting our farming industry?

[Mr Speaker]

That is a filleted question.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 6th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and to all in the House.

There is a total lack of ambition to make Britain a world leader on high-speed broadband. Reforms made in 2017 are holding back 5G connectivity in many areas across the country. Instead of paying a fair price to sports clubs, churches and local authorities to host and upgrade masts, the telecoms companies are slashing rents and holding community and sports groups to ransom through the courts, to boost their bottom lines—multibillion-pound organisations making profits on the backs of groups that have kept our communities going during the darkest days of the pandemic. Will the Government look again at the scope of the telecoms Bill that is due before the House shortly, to make rent evaluations fairer, rebalance the market and ensure that we can get 5G broadband across the UK improved?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I had the greatest respect for the hon. Gentleman as a Whip, and we used to have this challenge of Front Benchers’ questions needing to be short in topicals, so I was hoping he would set the right example, as I am sure he will next time.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Tuesday 7th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Thank you. I call Chris Elmore.

[Chris Elmore]

I am glad that the Minister is setting up a Cabinet Committee—that is lovely—but let me tell her what is impacting people on the ground. Daniel Lambert Wines, an importer in my constituency, for example, has gone from taking seven to nine days to import wine from the EU to 12 weeks. That is really not acceptable. The national Food and Drink Federation says that it is causing huge problems for the supply chains when it comes to bringing wine into the UK, and Christmas is one of the biggest periods for purchasing. Can the Minister set out what she will do to start tackling the issues around the delays in importing wine, so that everyone can have a sensible tipple over the Christmas period?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 28th April 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We now come to the shadow Minister, Chris Elmore.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

It is strange, because Universities Scotland says that the ODA funding cut is unprecedented and egregious, yet the Minister stands at the Dispatch Box and says that it is okay because the universities get funding from other sources. Universities Scotland says that it amounts to a 70% cut in overseas funding for the development of projects across universities in Scotland. Can the Minister explain how these cuts are reconciled with the Conservative Government’s idea of their post-Brexit ambition to build a global Britain?

Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port and Battery Manufacturing Strategy

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Monday 1st March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Happy St David’s day, Mr Speaker. If you will indulge me, may I thank you on the record for the letter that my wife and I received on the birth of our son, Henry? He was a month old yesterday, and I am pleased to say that he is thriving.

[Mr Speaker]

You are looking well!

[Chris Elmore]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Dare I say that face make-up keeps me going?

The Secretary of State has had lots of bids from Members across the House, from all parties, on battery development. I think that I can go one better. On 10 February, the Prime Minister announced to the House that Bridgend would have a world-beating battery development plant; it was later clarified by No. 10 that perhaps the Prime Minister misspoke or mixed up his Bs—Bridgend and Blyth, two very different parts of the country.

May I ask the Secretary of State whether he would agree to meet me and, indeed, the hon. Member for Bridgend (Dr Wallis), to discuss the options for a battery plant for the Bridgend borough? My constituents have lost the Jaguar Land Rover contract with Ford, which has now gone, and Ineos has run away to France with the Brexiteer who runs that company, so we need the Government to look at bringing in real investment to keep those highly skilled jobs in my borough.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Tuesday 21st July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, if you would add the Speaker, he’ll come along.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

  Last year, it was announced that the Ford engine plant was to be closed in September of this year. Ineos was brought in, with both UK Government and Welsh Government funding, but it has now suspended its development at the plant. BA has announced potential job losses at three sites across south Wales, and GE has put staff under a statutory notice period at its plant in Nantgarw. What support is the Secretary of State going to start putting into the south Wales economy so that we can save, protect and create new highly-skilled and well-paid jobs?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 20th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We now come to Chris Elmore in his new role on the Front Bench.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

Scotland’s 19 universities are not immune to the financial hardship caused by the pandemic. They currently face immediate in-year losses of £72 million, and Universities Scotland anticipates that 18 of Scotland’s 19 universities will go on to report deficits in this financial year. May I press the Secretary of State further on what work he will do as part of a UK Government working with the Scottish Government to ensure that any detrimental impact to universities across Scotland is dealt with and that universities are supported and helped in relation to the pandemic?

Business of the House

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 31st January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Chris Elmore.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

You are a kind and generous man, Mr Deputy Speaker.

Although he is not in his place, may I echo the calls made by the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee for a debate for Welsh MPs and anyone else who would like to join in around St David’s Day? I am sure that the Leader will echo my calls to wish the Welsh team all the very best on Friday night in their match against the French as the Six Nations begins.

May I ask for a statement? Two weeks ago, St David’s church in Pontycymmer in the Garw valley in my constituency was broken into in an act of mindless vandalism. The vandals achieved nothing apart from damaging crosses to try to gain access to a safe, which they could not do. They forced open lead windows, leaving huge amounts of damage. Rather than asking for a debate about mindless thuggery and vandalism, may I ask for a debate whenever the Leader of the House would like about the importance of the Church not just as a place of worship but for bringing communities together? In my constituency, the community has rallied and raised money to repair the church, and it will carry on being a hub for the community and my constituents.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 18th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

I think the answer might be that the hon. Gentleman could reply in writing, when he reads the record.

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

I will try to get this on the first go—

Welsh Affairs

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

Monday 19th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore]

I got carried away, Mr Deputy Speaker. I apologise, and I withdraw those words.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Thank you very much.

[David T. C. Davies]

I welcome the fact that everyone feels passionately about this issue, but I suggest that the hon. Gentleman look at what his own Labour Education Minister is saying about Labour’s education record in Wales.

Telecommunications Infrastructure (Relief from Non-Domestic Rates) Bill

Debate between Chris Elmore and Lindsay Hoyle

2nd reading: House of Commons
Monday 10th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)]

The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point on the topic of infrastructure around railways and roads. Does he agree that airports are important and need infrastructure as well?

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I have a good suggestion for the House: I think you should put in for an Adjournment debate on that very subject. With two Members, I am sure that you can do the subject justice.