To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Ukraine: Armed Conflict
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) US counterpart and (b) the UK's international allies on (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) military support for Ukraine.

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

The UK plays a leading role in driving international support for Ukraine. We are in constant contact with our international partners to ensure that Ukraine receives the diplomatic, military and humanitarian support it needs. The Foreign Secretary held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reaffirm international cooperation and support for Ukraine during his visit to Washington on 6-7 December last year. The Foreign Secretary also set out the high level of UK ambition recently at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, as well as during December and January travel to Paris, Rome, Amman, Cairo and Istanbul.


Written Question
Gaza: Hospitals
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the safety of (a) staff, (b) patients and (c) displaced people in hospitals in Gaza.

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

Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas, in line with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians. The Prime Minister has made this clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu and has been in close contact throughout. We are currently supporting NGO and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Israel on the potential merits of creating a two-state solution with Palestine.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. These are the vital steps:

  • A political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
  • The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package.
  • Removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel.
  • The release of all Israeli hostages.
  • Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January.

We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.


Written Question
Yemen: Military Intervention
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent regional conflict following strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We continue to work with our allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigation rights and freedoms in the Red Sea.

The Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in the Red Sea with key interlocutors from Saudi Arabia (14 December), United Arab Emirates (16 December & 12 January), Egypt (20 December), Iran (31 December and 17 January), Oman (31 December and 14 January), United States (2 January), the Palestinian Authority (5 January), Italy (8 January), Cyprus (12 and 24 January), Turkey (12 January), Saudi Arabia ( 17 January), Government of Yemen (17 January), United States (17 January), UN Secretary General (17 January), Poland (17 January), Sweden (21 January) and Greece (21 January). He also sent messages to United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on 23 January providing an update on the 22 January strikes.

The UK, alongside international partners, condemned the Houthi attacks through a series of ministerial statements. This included a 1 December United Nations Security Council statement, a 19 December US led statement with 43 signatories, a 3 January statement clearly stating that continued attacks would have consequences, a 12 January statement after the first strikes signed by 10 countries and a 23 January statement after the second strikes signed by 24 countries. On 10 January the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2722 affirming freedom of navigation and noting members states' right to defend their vessels.


Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We recognise that there is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza, and our focus now must be on practical solutions that save lives. The Foreign Secretary continues to discuss and press for the action that needs to be taken to increase aid to Gaza in his regular calls with his Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, US and Palestinian Authority counterparts; Israel must take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity. The UK also played a leading role in securing the passage of Security Council resolution 2720, which set out the urgent demand for expanded humanitarian access.


Written Question
Israel: International Law
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Israel on the importance of upholding international law.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, but it must comply with International Humanitarian Law and there must be a reduction in civilian casualties. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. The Foreign Secretary has raised these issues with his Israeli counterparts, including with the Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz and Ron Dermer, the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs.


Written Question
Famine: Humanitarian Aid
Wednesday 12th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on delivering commitments in the G7 famine prevention and humanitarian crises compact.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact was agreed during the UK's G7 Presidency and we have provided our share of the $7 billion in humanitarian assistance to the countries one step from famine in 2021. We have also allocated a further £3 billion for humanitarian responses over the next three years. We continue to deliver on our policy commitments in the Compact. For example, we co-convened events at COP27 and the Riyadh Humanitarian Forum 2023 to discuss effective approaches to scaling up anticipatory action in fragile and conflict affected states and continue to work with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and others through our core funding.


Written Question
Sudan: Armed Conflict
Thursday 27th April 2023

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

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 the de-escalation of violence between military groups in Sudan.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Our immediate objective is to stop the violence through securing ceasefires, humanitarian corridors and protection of civilians. We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Mitchell] are regularly in touch with international partners to engage all parties in Sudan.We strongly support the US-led 72 hour ceasefire initiative. Statements from across the international community continue to call for an end to hostilities, including a UK-led UN Security Council statement. The Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Mitchell] have held calls with key partners to discuss the situation and coordinate international response - including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, regional groupings and the UN Security Council. We are working closely with officials on the ground to establish facts and call on all sides of the conflict to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access.


Written Question
Sudan: Sanctions
Thursday 27th April 2023

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

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 potential merits of imposing additional sanctions on (a) persons and (b) other entities involved in the violence between military groups in Sudan.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Our priority is to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The UK Government keeps all sanctions regimes under review, however we do not speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.


Written Question
Haiti: Food Supply
Wednesday 8th February 2023

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

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 help alleviate the food insecurity situation in Haiti in the context of the UN World Food Programme's request for increased international support in that country.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

According to the UN World Food Programme's recent reports food insecurity is affecting 4.7 million people in Haiti. The UK are supporting Haiti through our contributions to the United Nations and other international agencies who have a strong presence on the ground, including the World Bank. The IMF recently approved US$105 million emergency financial assistance under their Rapid Credit Facility Food Shock Window. Through the British Embassy in Port-au-Prince, we remain in regular contact and coordination with these agencies.