Oral Answers to Questions

Mohammad Yasin Excerpts

Tuesday 30th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Mitchell]

We need to tackle this issue, as I think the hon. Gentleman is implying, on a series of different fronts. We are working upstream, as the deal with Vietnam demonstrates. Our Prime Minister has substantially repaired the relationship with France. The Calais Group has met the UK-France customs partnership. We work closely with Frontex. There are far more officials now in Britain dealing with these cases. As the Prime Minister has made clear, once this matter has been resolved, he is going to look at bringing in safe and legal routes from elsewhere.

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

6. What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

[Ian Levy (Blyth Valley) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking to help get more aid into Gaza.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Deputy Foreign Secretary (Mr Andrew Mitchell)]

We have trebled our aid commitment in the past year and we are doing all we can to get more aid to Gaza by land, air and sea.

[Mohammad Yasin]

The Colonna review was given no evidence to back up claims by the Israeli Government that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks. Other countries have already restored funding to the aid agency, so it can continue its work feeding tens of thousands of people who are starving in Gaza, including innocent babies who are dying without milk. Will the Minister commit to refunding today? Or will he continue to risk UK complicity in using famine as a weapon of war?

[Mr Mitchell]

I have set out the process by which we will judge how and when to restore funding to UNRWA, but the situation has improved in recent weeks. The hon. Member will have seen that fuel for bakeries has been restored. We are pressing for the activation of the water pipeline and, over the past week, we have been averaging more than 200 trucks each day. Progress has been made, but there needs to be a lot more progress, and Britain will continue to press for it.