Business of the House

Richard Foord Excerpts

Thursday 15th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Unless questions and answers are very short, many colleagues will be disappointed.

[Richard Foord (Honiton and Sidmouth) (LD)]

At the UN Security Council this week, humanitarian affairs co-ordinator Tom Fletcher talked about the need to prevent genocide in Gaza. He said:

“Future generations will hold us in this chamber to account”.

Members of this House were given the opportunity yesterday to ask the Government about their assessment of the likelihood of genocide in Gaza, but will the Leader of the House grant a debate about the obligation on Governments such as ours to prevent genocide?

[Lucy Powell]

I know that many colleagues, and many members of the public, will have heard that important speech by Tom Fletcher at the UN Security Council. We had an extensive debate in the House about these matters yesterday. I reiterate that the Government want to see an end to what is happening in Gaza—an end to the bloodshed and the airstrikes—with aid getting in, an urgent ceasefire and the hostages returned, alongside work towards a long-term, diplomatic solution. It is not for the Government of the day to make an adjudication on whether genocide has happened; that is a matter for international courts, and we absolutely respect the international courts and what they do.