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Written Question
Russia: Ukraine
Wednesday 2nd November 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to collaborate with international partners in response to the global cyber threat posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We have led the way alongside international partners to identify and expose malign Russian activity and to hold them to account in response to this hostile activity. The UK set up the Ukraine Cyber Programme shortly after Putin's invasion in February to protect against increased Russian cyber attacks. We mobilised an initial £6.35 million package to help protect Ukraine's critical national infrastructure and vital public services from cyber attacks. In May, we joined our international partners in calling out Russia's malicious attack on Viastat that impacted citizens across Europe. We will continue to collaborate internationally on cyber security and resilience, including responding to and deterring malicious cyber activities.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Tuesday 27th July 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support peace between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Following the ceasefire announcement, the Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 25 and 26 May for talks with senior leaders. The Foreign Secretary met former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and reiterated the UK's firm commitment to the two-state solution. We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Foreign Secretary and Ministers have also engaged regional partners, including with Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. The Foreign Secretary made it clear that the UK would continue to work with the parties, and other actors, to encourage a durable ceasefire and to urge them to address the drivers of conflict.


Written Question
Egypt: Ethiopia and Sudan
Thursday 29th April 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps the UK Government has taken to help improve relations between Egypt and (a) Sudan and (b) Ethiopia in response to the recent tensions between those nations.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK continues to urge all parties involved in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute - Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan - to come to an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. We support the African Union's (AU) efforts to promote an agreement that ensures water resources are managed in a sustainable way for all parties.

We continue to engage all three Governments, alongside the US and EU as observers to the AU-led process, including through the UK Special Envoy for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. The Minister for Africa raised the issue with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February. I discussed the matter with the Egyptian Ambassador on 22 April 2021. We are also urging for a peaceful solution to the current border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia.


Written Question
Palestinians: Textbooks
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the international review of the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We understand the EU are now moving towards the final reporting stage of the study. To ensure that the final report is thorough, the study has been extended to include a sample of textbooks the Palestinian Authority introduced for school year 2020-21. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the review and we continue to encourage them to finalise the report as soon as possible.


Written Question
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran’s regional activities.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We have been clear about our concerns over Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued destabilising activity throughout the region, which includes political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. The IRGC is sanctioned in its entirety by the UK.


Written Question
International Criminal Court
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court.

Answered by Nigel Adams

The UK has always been, and remains, a strong supporter of an effective International Criminal Court (ICC). We believe that positive reform is required for the ICC to fulfil its mandate as intended under the Rome Statute and we are working with the Court and other States Parties to achieve this


The UK welcomed the establishment of the Independent Expert Review as part of an inclusive State Party driven process for identifying and implementing measures to strengthen the Court and improve its performance. The Independent Experts published their final report in September 2020; it is essential that States Parties engage with the recommendations in the report and take forward the work to ensure the necessary changes are implemented to strengthen the Court. We look forward to continuing to work with States Parties, the Court and civil society to make sure this happens


The election of two highly qualified UK nationals, Judge Joanna Korner QC and Karim Khan QC to the roles of Judge and Prosecutor to the ICC respectively, will further serve reform of the Court.


Written Question
Hong Kong: National Security
Monday 14th September 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the national security law on the people of Hong Kong.

Answered by Nigel Adams

As the Foreign Secretary made clear in Parliament on 1 July, the enactment and imposition by China of national security legislation for Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The legislation violates the high degree of autonomy of executive and legislative powers and independent judicial authority, provided for in the Joint Declaration. Furthermore, it contains a slew of measures that directly threaten the freedoms and rights protected by the Joint Declaration. Since the legislation was introduced, the Hong Kong authorities have arrested a number of political figures in Hong Kong.

The Foreign Secretary set out our concerns about the national security legislation to State Councillor/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, on 8 June and 28 July. FCDO officials also continue to raise our concerns with the Hong Kong authorities, including with members of the Executive Council and the President of the Legislative Council.

On 9 August, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement together with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, which expressed shared concern at Beijing's imposition of national security legislation. We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations freely assumed under international law.


Written Question
Iran: International Law
Monday 3rd February 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure Iran complies with international law.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The United Kingdom engages consistently, both in bilateral and multilateral settings, to encourage Iran to act in accordance with international rules and norms. We have made clear our long-standing concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, its missile proliferation activity and its support for proxy groups and militias across the region. Such support is in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions and in many cases against the wishes of the people and the governments of the states in which the proxies operate. We will continue to hold Iran to account for its actions, including by working with European partners to sanction Iranian entities that contravene international rules and norms; there are over 200 EU sanctions listings in place against Iran. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is an important pillar of the wider global non-proliferation architecture and in all our security interests. The UK has consistently called on Iran to return immediately to compliance with its commitments and to now engage in good faith with the dispute resolution mechanism under the deal. We have also taken action at the UN, bilaterally and alongside our European partners to press Iran to fully uphold its obligations under international human rights law, in particular the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. We continue to call on Iran to respect international norms in relation to British dual nationals held in detention in Iran, and to release those held immediately.


Written Question
Egypt: Diplomatic Relations
Monday 3rd February 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve diplomatic relations with Egypt.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

​The UK-Egypt relationship is important and wide ranging, including security, foreign policy, trade and investment, economic reform, education, healthcare, and cultural cooperation. We work closely with the Egyptian authorities to counter shared threats from terrorism, to promote the safety and security of around 500,000 British citizens who visit Egypt each year, and to support longer-term reform.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister welcomed President Sisi and seven of his Cabinet Ministers to London for the UK-Africa Investment Summit. During his visit, President Sisi delivered the key-note speech at the Summit, held talks with the Prime Minister and was received by HRH the Duke of Cambridge. The visit also included a Joint Statement on Economic Cooperation and deals worth over £3 billion.


Written Question
Climate Change Convention: Glasgow
Thursday 30th January 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on preparations to host the UN climate change summit in Glasgow in late 2020.

Answered by Heather Wheeler

​The 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) will be a major international moment in 2020. Its successful delivery is a top priority across HMG and is being led by a central Cabinet Office COP 26 Unit. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be working in partnership with a number of other government departments such as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to deliver a successful summit.