Pro-democracy Campaigners: Arrests

David Chadwick Excerpts
Tuesday 7th January 2025

(2 days, 15 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts

Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Catherine West Portrait Catherine West
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

As the right hon. Gentleman is well aware, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office is still functioning here in the UK. We are keeping a close watch on the situation, and we keep all these things under review. My visit to Hong Kong in November was instructive, and I can assure him that nobody was cringing when I met the representative from Beijing. If you think this Minister cringes, then you don’t know her.

David Chadwick Portrait David Chadwick (Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe) (LD)
- Hansard - -

If human rights are paramount, why should we allow our trade balance to determine how we respond to abuses of human rights?

Catherine West Portrait Catherine West
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The hon. Member asks a very important question. There is a three-legged approach in good foreign policy, with national security first, human rights as our duty, and an eye to our economy, because I do not think any of us wants the continuation of a situation where our economy is at the bottom of the league table, which is how it feels now.