Oral Answers to Questions

Julie Cooper Excerpts

Tuesday 4th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

Labour can be incredibly proud that Clement Attlee was responsible for setting up NATO in 1949. NATO has been supported by every single Labour leader since then—except the current one. It would be interesting to know whether the current shadow Foreign Secretary supports the current Labour leader or his predecessors.

[Julie Cooper (Burnley) (Lab)]

T4. I welcome the Secretary of State to his new role. I listened with interest to his comments about the plight of the Rohingya, but I am becoming impatient. It is now 12 months since the House heard of the massacre of 7,000 Rohingya people and the horrific circumstances that led to more than 700,000 having to flee into neighbouring Bangladesh. Will the Secretary of State assure me that he views the situation as a matter of urgency and that the British Government, as a former colonial leader in the region, will take a lead on the issue, so that in 12 months we will not be in the same position, listening to reports of genocide?

[Mr Hunt]

I absolutely give the hon. Lady those assurances, because it is vital not just for the Rohingya people but for people everywhere that countries with values such as ours take a firm stand when there is genocide.