Ceasefire in Gaza

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Wednesday 21st February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

Today my boys celebrate their 18th birthday, so for me this is a special moment, in that I hope we will come to a decision that will make the world that they step into as adults a better place. I would have hoped that one of the most serious humanitarian crises in living memory would have brought consensus instead of competition. We are supposed to be voting to bring peace to a deeply polarised conflict, but that will not be achieved by political factionalism in this place.

Despite accusations of tribalism in the Scottish independence movement, Alba intends, as we have often done before, to support the SNP motion today. My party’s position was set out by my party leader Alex Salmond on 9 October:

“There has been a long and sorry catalogue of atrocities throughout the history of this conflict. Terrorist action against civilians can never be justified and neither can military reprisals which lead to killing and maiming of children. Both sides should be told by the international community to now choose the path of de-escalation and ceasefire. There can be no lasting settlement which ignores long-standing United Nations resolutions and there is no path to peace which can be initiated by violence against civilians.”

He was right, as has been evidenced by the subsequent violence, death and destruction. This serves no one, and an end to bloodshed should be the only guiding principle we observe.

At the start of the current conflict, many of us met a young Israeli man who had lost both of his peace-campaigning parents in the 7 October attack. Despite his loss, his appeal was for de-escalation, peace and the amplification of moderate voices in Israel. He described the anger in his country towards the current Israeli Government. We have also heard from Palestinian representatives who have lost every generation of their family in the ensuing IDF attacks. Those families had followed the instruction from Israel to move to the south of Gaza but they were wiped out anyway. We have heard testimony from Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, which are witnesses to alleged war crimes. The ICJ has found it plausible that Israel’s actions may amount to genocide. The Jewish Voice for Peace rabbinical council has condemned the continuing violence against Palestinians and those countries that support and enable it.

If this House cannot co-operate, and if it calls those of us who seek peace naive on a matter of such humanitarian significance, how can we expect others who are so invested in this conflict to lay down their arms and talk?

Death of Alexei Navalny

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Monday 19th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Leo Docherty]

As my hon. Friend said, we do not and would not countenance a policy of prisoner swaps, but of course we continue to make every effort to support Mrs Kara-Murza and to seek the release of Vladimir.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

Holding political prisoners is not a sign of strength; it is a sign of weakness, and Mr Navalny’s murder should be rightly condemned. However, right now in the UK the journalist Julian Assange is in Belmarsh prison for blowing the whistle on atrocities in Iraq. Does the Minister agree that it is important for the UK Government to measure themselves against the same standards if they are going to criticise others? [Interruption.]

[Leo Docherty]

I think the hon. Gentleman can sense that the House knows there is no equivalence.

Trial of Jimmy Lai

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Monday 18th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

As I set out in answer to an earlier question, Jimmy Lai obviously wanted to have his own choice of legal representation. He has a fantastic team of lawyers here in the UK supporting him. The challenge for those representing him at the trial is one that we continue to highlight, as I set out earlier. The frustration in the way this system works means that he does not have the international lawyer of his choosing with him. However, we will continue to highlight those failings and, as so many colleagues have highlighted, what we consider the right use of the legal system and such independent representation should be.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

Every reasonable democrat will be happy to support the plea of the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) on behalf of Mr Lai. However, there is a whiff of hypocrisy in the air. In 2021, former ambassador Craig Murray was imprisoned on the fabricated conceit of jigsaw identification, and Julian Assange has been held in Belmarsh prison for 1,300 or more days. Will the Government lead by example and desist from harassing journalist Craig Murray and others, and free Julian Assange now?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

rose—

Oral Answers to Questions

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Mitchell]

On my hon. Friend’s last point, I think at least two Ministers will be at that forum to represent our country. She asked about the domestic analysis of the SDGs. There was a voluntary national review in 2019, conducted by our former colleague Rory Stewart. He said that it was a work in progress and we are doing quite well. On the wider SDG point, I hope that the whole House will engage with the White Paper, which can help to inject British leadership to drive it forward.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

T5. I recently met a Hongkonger living in Scotland, who told me at first hand about the oppressive surveillance that his community is under by the Chinese state police. He said that, no matter where they are in the world, they are subject to Chinese law. What steps is the FCDO taking to work with the Home Office to provide reassurance to that community, so they can report instances of suppression and oppression directly to UK Government?

[James Cleverly]

As I said in response to a similar question, we work closely with the Home Office. The Security Minister has conducted a review on this issue, and I have made it very clear to the Chinese Government that any such activities are completely unacceptable in the UK. They have committed that they will not continue.

Ukraine

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Monday 20th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[James Cleverly]

As my right hon. and gallant Friend knows, I am a good, old-fashioned team gunner, so I understand ballistic artillery and very little else, but I am assured by my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary, in close co-ordination with our Ukrainian friends, that the training contribution we are making is genuinely valuable and very much valued.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

It is said that war is easy but peace is hard, which ignores the fact that war is never easy and that peace is a light we must all attempt to pursue to avoid an escalation of hostilities. The Secretary of State will be aware that the devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria will have an impact on our ability to maintain the Black sea grain deal. What support is being offered to Turkey, and what is the UN doing to secure the position of food supplies to the rest of the world?

[James Cleverly]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. It is not directly linked to the subject of this debate, but I can reassure him that I have been in regular contact with the Turkish Foreign Minister with regard to our ongoing support to Turkey and north-west Syria as they attempt to deal with the terrible consequences of the earthquake. I committed to keeping the House informed in my urgent statement, and I will make sure I do.

Oral Answers to Questions

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Tuesday 8th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

Mr Speaker, if I may, I will ask the noble Lord Goldsmith to write to my hon. Friend with the details.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

T9. UK Foreign Secretaries of every political hue thrive on declaring themselves defenders of democracy the world over. I am sure the Minister would agree with Aristotle that the absence of democracy leads only to oligarchy or tyranny. Given that democracy is a continuous process and not a single event, does the Minister accept that Westminster’s continued denial of Scottish democracy makes a laughing stock of UK foreign policy, and is it oligarchy or tyranny, when an argument for both could easily be mounted?

[The Minister for Development (Mr Andrew Mitchell)]

No, Mr Speaker.

Global Vaccine Access

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Thursday 13th January 2022 Westminster Hall

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) on securing this important debate. During yesterday’s vaccine statement, the UK Government Minister dodged an issue of vital importance to international vaccine security by choosing to hide behind commercial sensitivity rather than answering my questions about Scottish vaccine company Valneva. The UK Government Minister showed a fundamental lack of understanding of the issue. Let me be clear that my questions are not centred on the commercial considerations, as important as they are. The challenge that we face on vaccines is centred on public health and meeting our international obligations and responsibilities.

The UK Government’s overemphasis on vaccination as the sole plank of infection management is deeply problematic, but even with the vaccine success delivered by Dame Kate Bingham, they have placed all their eggs in the mRNA basket. That is the wrong move. The Valneva vaccine is the only adjuvanted, inactivated whole virus covid-19 vaccine candidate in clinical development in Europe. The UK Government pulled the contract just before the phase three results were published, which demonstrated the vaccine to be highly effective and safe.

In addition, the safety and efficacy of the Valneva vaccine was questioned by the Health Secretary, who said in the House of Commons on 14 September that

“it was also clear to us that the vaccine in question that the company was developing would not get approval by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency”.—[Official Report, 14 September 2021; Vol. 700, c. 820.]

That statement was untrue and had to subsequently be corrected. We have had the correction, but the company is still awaiting an apology. Importantly for the purposes of the debate, I will focus on the clinical advantages, over solely relying on mRNA. Inactivated vaccines are a well-established, tried-and-tested technology used over the last 100 years to vaccinate billions, including for seasonal flu, hepatitis A, polio and rabies, so the Valneva vaccine could play a vital role in tackling vaccine hesitancy among the general UK population. From a purely public health perspective, its availability and use could help to close the vaccination gap by increasing coverage among those who remain unvaccinated or are hesitant about novel mRNA technologies.

All of this is important, but the great advantage for global vaccine access is that the Valneva vaccine would allow the UK to meet its global humanitarian responsibilities by supplying such vaccines to COVAX, the international vaccine-purchasing agency. The Valneva vaccine does not require the same complex cold-chain infrastructure, making it easier to store, distribute and deploy internationally. Dame Kate Bingham said that the decision to cancel the Valneva contract was “problematic on various counts” and “short-sighted” and, in her lecture on 23 November, she said that it was “inexplicable”. Do the UK Government not get that?

Oral Answers to Questions

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Tuesday 26th October 2021 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I praise my right hon. Friend for the huge support that she has given to the family of Harry Dunn. I had the opportunity to speak with them; of course, the situation they find themselves in is absolutely terrible. I am determined that we should deliver justice for Harry and his family, and I am pushing the United States. Of course it is a key ally of the United Kingdom, but we must see justice delivered.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

10. What diplomatic steps she is taking to support the safe passage of (a) UK citizens and (b) Afghan nationals from Afghanistan.

[Stephen Farry (North Down) (Alliance)]

21. What steps her Department is taking to assist vulnerable Afghans leave Afghanistan to places of safety.

[The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa (James Cleverly)]

The Government continue to do all they can to ensure safe passage of eligible individuals who wish to leave Afghanistan. The UK has had constructive engagement with near neighbours, led by my noble Friend Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon. British nationals continue to be facilitated and supported in their exit from Afghanistan, including through Qatar Airways flights. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Afghan evacuees and the Qatari authorities on this very issue on her recent trip.

[Neale Hanvey]

I thank the Minister for that answer and the Secretary of State for her recent update on this issue. It is important to acknowledge the considerable efforts that are being made, but concerns persist for those who remain and are seeking refuge or safe passage from Afghanistan. Members will understand that I cannot name my constituents for fear of putting their relatives in a deeply perilous state, but what more can the Government do to assist hon. Members to alleviate the anguish and distress of constituents with loved ones in Afghanistan? Will the Government commit to working with Members to secure safe passage from Afghanistan, removing their constituents from immediate risk?

[James Cleverly]

The situation in Afghanistan is painful for us all. Three routes have been set up: for British nationals, through the Foreign Office; for Afghan nationals, through the Home Office; and for those who have supported us directly, through the Afghan relocations and assistance policy scheme. We continue to engage directly with the Taliban. The Prime Minister’s High Representative for Afghanistan, Simon Gass, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the UK mission to Afghanistan based in Doha, Dr Martin Longden, travelled to Afghanistan on 5 October to have direct talks with the Taliban, and to hold them to the commitments they have made about respecting and protecting people within Afghanistan.

Cyber-attack: Microsoft

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Tuesday 20th July 2021 Commons Chamber

[James Cleverly]

I can assure my hon. Friend that the UK is very much taking a leadership role with regard to the development of cyber-security and cyber-response. We are always most effective on issues such as these when we work in close conjunction with our international partners, and I can therefore assure him that at multilateral gatherings this will always be one of the issues that is important to us. On the practical steps that people can take, I would urge people to heed the advice from the National Cyber Security Centre and take a range of relatively simple and practical steps that will help to protect them and their organisations from cyber-attacks.

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)]

The Chinese cyber-attack is of real concern, but it is most certainly not the only game in town. The Guardian reported on something equally concerning this weekend, which is Project Pegasus from the NSO Group. It has been used in the surveillance of humanitarians, including the late Father Stan Swamy in India. With our own concerns in this House around the surveillance of the former Secretary of State for Health, which led ultimately to his resignation, I would like to know what our involvement is with Project Pegasus, if we actually have any involvement. What are we doing to monitor that undetectable phone app, which provides full access to phones that become infected in a way that is untraceable?

[James Cleverly]

The hon. Gentleman will understand that I am not going to speculate or comment on individual cases. Ultimately, the licensing of this software is the responsibility of the Israeli Government. I can assure him that we speak regularly with our partners globally about the importance of maintaining cyber-security and about how important it is for us all that cyber-technologies are used responsibly. We work closely with our allies around the world to tackle cyber-threats and to improve the overall global resilience to such attacks.

Official Development Assistance and the British Council

Neale Hanvey Excerpts

Wednesday 30th June 2021 Commons Chamber

[Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba) [V]]

I would like to begin by paying tribute to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) and to the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) for keeping the pressure on this matter with the Government. I thank Mr Speaker for recognising the importance of this debate.

I respectfully disagree with the hon. Member for Stirling (Alyn Smith) and his remarks about how we would do things differently in Scotland. We may have aspirations to do things differently, but judging by this debate and its tone, I would suggest that this place speaks strongly and in unison on this matter. As the right hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) so eloquently illustrated, it is the Prime Minister and his Government who are the isolated outliers forcing this matter through. They clearly fear a meaningful vote in this House.

The importance of meeting a 0.7% GNI target has been accepted by successive UK Governments since the UN target was established in 1970. It was first achieved in the UK in 2013 and the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 established a statutory duty to meet this target. That is something the Government are prepared to break. It is an effective cut of up to £10 billion.

Significant portions of the funding cuts are targeted against sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes globally, resulting in the closure of services and a disruption to supplies and programmes. The president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Mr Edward Morris, called the cuts

“an unconscionable attack on…women and girls”.

The impact of these cuts is immediate. Funding for healthcare that was providing critical, life-saving support has already been terminated, often with little explanation to local government and NGO partners. The cuts will inevitably lead to an increase in maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.

At a time when the most disadvantaged across the world face the peril of poverty and covid, many countries are expanding their support, such as Canada, France, the United States of America and others. During the emergency debate on 8 June, the Government were warned that this cut would embarrass the UK at the G7 summit and later this year at COP26. The Prime Minister did not account for his lacklustre performance that overshadows even this. A cut of 0.2% may sound tiny to most, but the impact is the difference between life and death for so many. At that time the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said the economy was doing well, so why the cut, forcing austerity on those who can least withstand it?

Sadly, this is well understood in my Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency and by people who rely on foodbanks; I echo the words of the hon. Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) on this point. This is coupled with the questionable achievement of the Prime Minister in the chair of the G7 summit, where less than a tenth of the support needed is being provided in covid vaccines and financial support.

The disparity was highlighted powerfully by my hon. Friend the Member for East Lothian (Kenny MacAskill). Eleven billion vaccines are needed; 1 billion have been promised. Fifty billion dollars is needed; $5 billion has been promised. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury was able to point to the paragraph of policy that facilitates this cut, but can the Prime Minister, or anyone in this Government, set out the moral justification? Failure to do so reads like a dismissive ignorance of the human cost.

From the protection of women and girls to global infection control of covid, neglect of tropical diseases, and clean water and hygiene across the conflict zones of Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all are losing over half their aid funding. It is not a question or an issue that exists over there. Global health is now a shared responsibility. It is both a moral imperative and in the national interest, something I would ask the hon. Member for Dudley North (Marco Longhi) to ponder on, rather than put forward narrow and dangerous populist views.

This Parliament is speaking clearly. A meaningful vote is of urgent importance. This is an investment in tackling conflict, building prosperity, promoting good governance and reducing poverty, and will secure our own health into the future.