Oral Answers to Questions

Priti Patel Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

[Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)]

As Ukraine passes the grim milestone of its fourth independence day since Putin began his barbaric invasion, we have seen nothing but sustained aerial assaults and brutality from Putin. May I ask the Foreign Secretary directly what he will do to redouble his efforts in relation to sanctions—specific sanctions on those who are profiteering and making money from Russian oil? That is effectively what is fuelling Putin’s war machine and his barbaric assault on democracy.

[Mr Lammy]

I am grateful for the cross-party support in the Chamber on the issue of Ukraine. We have done a lot to lower the oil price cap, which I think has been essential. We, alongside the last Government, have the largest package of sanctions anywhere in the world against Putin’s war machine. I cannot comment from the Dispatch Box on further sanctions, but the right hon. Lady will see an announcement very shortly.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

[Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)]

The Joint Committee on Human Rights’ recent report into transnational repression recommended that China be placed on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme, alongside Iran and Russia. Clearly, this follows concerns following the China audit and the national security strategy, so I have a very specific question for the Foreign Secretary: when will he recognise that China is a threat to our national security and put it on the enhanced tier of FIRS?

[Mr Lammy]

The right hon. Lady and I exchanged debate when we published the China audit. There was discussion at the national security strategy, and the Defence Secretary also set out his concerns about Chinese activity in the South China sea in the defence strategy. There have been a lot of debates and discussion in relation to China, and I have been very clear that there are areas where we will co-operate, but we will always challenge where we must.

[Priti Patel]

On 7 August, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary about the deadly sectarian violence that we have witnessed in Syria, which threatens further destabilisation and fallout that we all know could come soon. While I have not received a response, I did specifically ask in that letter whether he would call for justice and accountability for those responsible for the recent killings—the reports are very shocking. Does he agree that there could be a role for the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, which I understand the Minister for the Middle East met and praised in Damascus just last week?

[Mr Lammy]

I am very grateful to the right hon. Lady for raising this issue. It was important for me to look into the eyes of al-Sharaa when I was in Syria, and the Minister for the Middle East was also in Syria very recently. I have been concerned about the increase in terrorist activity and about the position of minorities, and of course we continue to discuss this with the Syrians. We are also worried about those in the neighbourhood, like Israel, as some of the activity is destabilising what is going on, and of course I will look at the issue that she raises.