Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to advocate for Jagtar Singh Johal’s release since 4 March 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 December in response to Question 97066.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to a) support civil society and democratic institutions in Iraq, and b) counter the influence of the Popular Mobilisation Forces.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to Question 55773, and add that our Ambassador in Baghdad, and our Consul General in Erbil, regularly meet with civil society to underline the UK's enduring commitment to human rights. The UK welcomes the peaceful Iraqi elections that took place on 11 November. We look forward to a smooth transition of power and hope to see a new Government with a clear approach to protecting Iraq's stability and security.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69086 on Armed Conflict: Children, whether her Department has had discussions with stakeholders on the potentials merits of a children in conflict strategy.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned about the worsening situation for children in conflicts around the world. We continue to call on all parties to armed conflict to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children and adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children. We will also continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including civil society, the Untied Nations, international organisations and overseas partners to develop the most effective policy responses to the issues around children in conflict.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will place restrictions on the trade of British-manufactured equipment with Israel in circumstances where there is evidence of a risk that such equipment will be used to facilitate the construction of illegal settlements.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 3 July to Question 62975.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 support (a) humanitarian relief, (b) long-term recovery and reconstruction, and (c) engagement with Pakistani diaspora communities in the UK following the recent flooding in Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is supporting Pakistan in responding to the floods through the Building Resilience and Addressing Vulnerabilities to Emergencies (BRAVE) programme. So far, we have mobilised £2.85 million of support across 25 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh & Gilgit Baltistan and reached over 459,000 beneficiaries to support search and rescue and provide emergency medical care, food, water, hygiene, and household items. Ministers regularly engage with the Pakistani diaspora on all aspects of the UK relationship with Pakistan. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) UK-Pakistan Advisory Council, made up of 12 UK based British Pakistani representatives, takes part in regular discussions with the FCDO on development issues in Pakistan, including climate.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of Saudi Arabia on the death sentences given to (a) Rami Gamal Shafik al-Najjar, (b) Ahmed Zeinhom Omar, (c) Hesham Al Teles, (d) Abdelfattah Kamal, (e) Issam Al Shazly, (f) Mohamed Saad and (g) Omar Sherif.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. We regularly discuss human rights with the Saudi authorities, including individual cases of concern. I raised the cases of several Egyptian nationals with the Saudi authorities this year. The Government will continue to engage on this matter.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq on the detention of journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Omed Baroshki.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In August, officials from our Consulate General in Erbil attended the trial of Sherwan Sherwani. This sent a clear signal that the UK Government is closely monitoring the situation and remains engaged in advocating for due process and media freedom.
Freedoms of expression, media and association are key parts of the democratic process. Journalists in the Kurdistan Region must be able to operate without fear of harassment, detention, or violence.
The UK, alongside international partners, will continue to raise these issues with the Kurdistan Regional Government and press for accountability and reform.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support human rights in J(a) Jammu and (b) Kashmir.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 31 March 2025 to Question 39395.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made in developing a new strategy for children in armed conflict.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The latest UN Secretary General's report on Children and Armed Conflict is shocking. It shows that children are being harmed and denied lifesaving aid on an unprecedented scale.
In the UN Security Council, the UK has called on all parties to armed conflict to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children, and for perpetrators to be held to account. The UK remains committed to promoting and defending the UN's Children and Armed Conflict mandate.
We are engaging with stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of our current approach.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 implications for his policies of the Israeli government's E1 settlement plan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 21 August, the Foreign Secretary and 26 international partners joined a statement condemning the E1 settlement development. The Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom was also summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in response to the plans. The decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and, if implemented, would divide a Palestinian state in two, mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution. We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms. The Israeli government must stop settlement construction in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.