Middle East and North Africa

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Wednesday 7th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for giving us the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement, which covered events in Iran, Gaza, Syria and Yemen, and the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah. That alone demonstrates the increasing instability we are facing globally. The Official Opposition are clear that the UK can and must play a full role in facing up to the challenges of our increasingly unstable world.

Beginning with Iran, we stand with those brave Iranians who have risked so much by exercising their fundamental right to free protest. Reports that at least 36 protesters have been killed during the Iran protests are extremely concerning. The violence perpetrated by the Iranian regime against protesters is appalling as well. Can the Minister say what practical steps the UK can take in looking at how we can support and bring those responsible to justice for these dreadful acts?

We know the Foreign Secretary raised the case of Craig and Lindsay Foreman with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 19 December and we welcome that. Can the Minister give the House an update on their case and set out what further steps the United Kingdom Government intend to take to secure their safe release? In such an uncertain political context, it is essential that Ministers redouble their efforts in this area.

The Official Opposition welcome the progress that is being made towards a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Gaza conflict, but we remain concerned about the breaches of the ceasefire perpetrated by Hamas. In particular, can the Minister update the House on what progress is being made to secure the return of the body of the remaining hostage?

On Monday, Minister Falconer announced that the UK will establish a Palestinian embassy. Can the Minister provide further details on this, and can she confirm where the Palestinian embassy will be established and when it is expected to be open?

I will also take this opportunity to ask about reports of terrorists infiltrating aid agencies. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of these reports? Can the Minister give us a sense of the scale of infiltration that the Government are aware of?

On the situation in Yemen, it is now being reported that the separatist leader is going to take a last stand after rejecting the Saudi ultimatum. Can the Minister provide an update on the fast-moving situation there?

In Syria, we welcome the Royal Air Force’s successful joint operation with France on Daesh. We know that Syria is still facing huge challenges. Specifically on the issue of sectarian violence, what practical steps can the Minister take to support the Syrian Government in their work to tackle this?

Finally, on the Alaa Abd el-Fattah case, can the Minister confirm exactly when Ministers were made aware of the horrific social media comments that have been the source of so much debate over the Recess? The Official Opposition have called for his citizenship to be stripped; can the Minister confirm whether Ministers are considering this option?

I look forward to hearing the responses from the Minister.

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

I am also grateful for the Statement, but I am also slightly disappointed that, given the linkages between the Middle East and North Africa and the crisis in Sudan, there was no mention of that emergency. I will return to that in a moment and I hope the Minister might be able to give an update and respond to a couple of points that I wish to make on that.

On the ongoing low-level conflict which continues in Gaza, it is palpably obvious from the Minister’s Statement that there is not what can be described as a “humanitarian ceasefire”. I agree with the words that the Minister outlined in the House of Commons. He decried the lack of a humanitarian response as a disaster. In the Minister’s words, it is “catastrophic” and “unjustifiable”. He went on to say that the hypothermia and sewage running in the streets is “unforgivable”. I also agree with his strong words on that.

It is a very long way from October, when our Prime Minister flew in a flurry to Egypt to, in his words, give special tribute to President Trump on a so-called historic peace agreement. Four months on, there has been little progress on governance and there continues to be far too little in food and medicine assistance to civilians. Peace, proper peace, seems a very long way away, especially with Hamas and gangsterism continuing.

We had been informed that our Government were playing a leading role in the co-ordination work of governance arrangements for Gaza. But can the Minister give some concrete examples of what impact the UK is having and what role we are playing in the Board of Peace? What is the board’s current impact? What is the Minister’s assessment of how far from the crucial next phase we are, in the Government’s estimate?

On Iran, the latest repression continues to alarm, and it is worth remembering the rhetoric at the time of the US air strikes that this would have weakened the regime and potentially hastened its end. But we continue to see the dictatorial human rights abuses of the Iranian regime. We also note the continuing abuse of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, and I also endorse the question as to what actions are being taken to secure their release.

For some young Iranians, especially young women, who continue to be targeted by the regime, especially those that have some connection with the United Kingdom, there continues to be no safe and legal route for them to seek asylum in the United Kingdom. Why is this? In opposition, Labour supported my amendment to the then migration Bill for a safe and legal route that would cover Iran. This is now opposed by the Home Office. Can the Minister outline why that is the case?

With regards to the violence in Yemen and the security impact in the Red Sea, we also hope that there will be some form of response to the initiatives for peace. But it does seem far away, and a further update from the Government would be welcome.

On Syria, is it still the view of the Government that Syria is considered to be a safe country as far as migration is concerned? Advice for travel is still restricted, and we still do not have an embassy.

I also wish to ask the Minister about comments made by her colleague, and I am fully respectful of the fact he has had to go during the dinner break business because he has been occupied under the legislation this afternoon. My noble friend Lady Hussein-Ece raised the case of 35 British children, half of whom are under 10, detained indefinitely and unlawfully with 15 women in northern Syria.

My noble friend asked the noble Lord the Minister what actions the Government are taking. The Minister said that those British nationals were able to avail themselves of “requests for consular assistance” and

“that facility is open to access”.

There is no consular provision in Syria for any UK nationals or joint nationals. The advice from the FCDO on its website is perfectly clear that no consular access is available. So, will the Minister write to me with clarification as to what kind of consular access within Syria is available?

Given the restrictive nature of the regime in Syria and the fact that the Government have lifted sanctions and provided relief against the sanctions without any conditions on that, I maintain the concerns that I have raised previously about the lack of conditions placed on the regime to make improvements on human rights, especially for women, within Syria.

Finally, on Sudan, the Minister is well aware now that an estimated 75,000 civilians have been slaughtered in the atrocities in El Fasher. The Minister is well aware of my concerns about El Obeid and other areas. What are the latest actions the Government, as penholder in the UN Security Council, are taking for the protection of civilians within Sudan? Can the Minister restate the view of our Government that the future of Sudan can be in the hands only of civilians, that civilian-led governance is the only way of reconstructing towards peace and that there should be no profit for combatants in any future? Would she be willing to meet me and Sudanese civilian leaders to discuss the protection of civilians and also the necessity of having a reconstruction of that country, potentially after peace, if we can secure it, which is in the hands of civilians?

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

I am grateful to both noble Lords for their comments. I particularly thank the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, for reminding us of Sudan, which, as he said, was not part of the Statement, which was specifically about the Middle East and North Africa. He was absolutely right to say that the events in Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen are connected in many different ways, and he is right to draw that to our attention.

At the risk of spending the entire time I have on Sudan, which I could quite easily do, El Fasher is a crime scene and the sheer hell of what happened there and the darkness of that is yet to be fully appreciated by the international community. But that will happen, and access will improve. I am regularly in contact with Tom Fletcher. He sent me a note just this week about what he discovered on his recent visit to Sudan, including to RSF-controlled areas, and it is bleak. But we continue to maintain our focus on Sudan, as does the Foreign Secretary. What the noble Lord said about how vital it is to have a civilian-led future is absolutely right. I agree with him and will of course be happy to meet him and those civilian leaders from Sudan whenever that is possible. I am very happy to agree to do that.

I turn now to the substance of the Statement made by my honourable friend Mr Falconer in the other place. On Iran, it is right, as the noble Earl said, that those who wish to protest, make their points and air their views about the regime under which they live, should be free to do so. They should be free to gather, protest, speak and make their case as they see fit, and it is wrong that they are being treated in the way they are. We are sometimes cautious about what we say about this because it is part of the regime’s position that these are events being facilitated and encouraged by foreign powers. That is absolutely not the case. We know that, but we do not want to say things that could enable the regime to make that incorrect assertion and cause harm to those protesters who are doing what they have an absolute right to do.

It is wrong that the Foremans are being held and have been charged with espionage. My honourable friend the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, has met the family, and I believe the Foreign Secretary has been in contact as well. We will continue to work for their release, as both noble Lords have encouraged us to do.

As the noble Earl said, the remaining body of the hostage in Gaza needs to be returned to the family so that they can mourn and grieve, as they should be able to do, with dignity. It is outrageous that this has been going on for 820 days now. It is wrong and should be brought to an end as soon as possible.

On the issue of the embassy, I do not have anything further to add to what Minister Falconer said in the Statement. But it is a logical next step following our decision to recognise the State of Palestine.

The noble Earl asked about the infiltration of aid agencies. We are of course concerned about that, but our biggest concern when it comes to aid is that—this is in response to the question by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis—although we have been able to work to increase the amount of aid reaching Gaza, they are still around 100 or so trucks short of what is estimated to be needed. The restrictions on access still persist to too great an extent. Not all the crossings are open. Some commercial goods are allowed in, such as cigarettes and luxury goods, whereas some shelter kits and medical supplies are not being permitted. This needs to stop. We need to get the appropriate goods in to where they are desperately needed, and that needs to happen urgently.

Both noble Lords asked for an update on Yemen. We are pleased to see that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are talking about de-escalation and that that is what they both wish to see. The Saudis have offered to host a conference. This is welcome and we will encourage it, because de-escalation and an end to the violence there are urgently needed. The situation is really quite desperate. Access for aid workers is difficult in some parts of Yemen, and the only way forward is for the fighting to stop. It is good that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are saying the same things at the moment.

On Syria, clearly, as we have discussed many times, Syria is in a very precarious situation. This is an early stage of a new regime. It is not straightforward by any means. We are co-ordinating with other donors and providing technical assistance. We were one of the first countries to lift sanctions. The reason we did that was in recognition that if this opportunity that Syria now has is to come to anything at all, it needs the ability to strengthen its economy and build the security it needs.

The noble Lord asked about the return of refugees. Of the Syrian refugees I have spoken to—those here in the UK, some who have returned, and others who have been in Jordan—not everybody wants to return. Some feel that their children saw things they never want them to be retraumatised by. But many do want to return, and are desperate to, but not until they are sure that they and their families can be safe, their children can be educated and they can have access to healthcare. That is a completely understandable position to take. It matters to the UK because we want to enable the return of refugees who have been welcomed here. Refugees want that, and it is vital for the future of Syria that people who want to go home, and are able to, can do so and can contribute and take part in the rebuilding of their country. They tell us that that is what they want too.

I was asked to comment on the remarks of my honourable friend regarding the return of refugees in Syria who are in camps. There are a small number of UK nationals in those camps. The noble Lord will appreciate that there are serious security considerations around their status. Those are considerations that I am not privy to. He asked me to write to him and I am very happy to do that and to provide any further detail, particularly around the kind of access to assistance that might be possible. I agree with him that is incredibly difficult to imagine how that is at all straightforward in the circumstances, but I am happy to write to him with more detail on that.