Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 27th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

The Chair of the Select Committee is a long-standing champion on these issues, even before her time chairing the Committee, and she and I have discussed these issues on many occasions. We always welcome a conversation with her about these matters, and I am sure that the Minister for International Development, who has responsibility for Africa, and indeed the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Chris Elmore), who works on preventing sexual violence, would be happy to sit down and discuss these issues with her.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

8. What diplomatic steps he is taking to support UK nationals arbitrarily detained abroad.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty)]

We take all allegations of arbitrary detention very seriously, considering all available information and any opinions issued by the UN working group on arbitrary detention. Our support is tailored to each individual, and may include raising welfare or concerns about process, where needed. Reflecting our commitment to supporting British nationals detained overseas, we have appointed the right hon. Alistair Burt as our first envoy for complex consular detentions to work on these matters, and I am working with him very closely on this.

[Douglas McAllister]

My West Dunbartonshire constituent Jagtar Singh Johal was released on bail 26 days ago, but Jagtar is by no means free. While he may have walked out of Tihar jail, having endured 3,254 days of illegal detention, torture and abuse, he still cannot return home to his family in Dumbarton, and still faces eight outstanding cases and the death penalty. Over the last 26 days, has the Minister escalated Jagtar’s case to the highest diplomatic level?

[Stephen Doughty]

I can confirm that, most recently, the Foreign Secretary raised Mr Johal’s case with his Indian counterpart on 24 September at the UN General Assembly. I will be very clear: we recognise the immense toll that nine years in detention have taken on Mr Johal and his family, and I thank my hon. Friend for his advocacy for his constituent. His release on bail is a welcome development, but we recognise that eight cases remain outstanding, and it is crucial that those processes are resolved as quickly as possible within India’s independent legal system. We consistently raise concerns about his case at every appropriate opportunity.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 1st September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

8. What steps his Department is taking to secure the release of UK nationals detained abroad.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty)]

I pay tribute to our Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office consular teams, particularly for their current work on the Nepal-China flooding crisis. It is also important to pay tribute to the work they do to support the thousands of British nationals who are arrested or detained abroad each year. We are strengthening that support, including through the appointment of the first dedicated envoy for complex detentions, our former colleague the right honourable Alistair Burt. I am sure that was welcomed across the House. He is supporting British nationals and their families in the most difficult detention cases. I have met him to discuss those cases, and I look forward to his challenge and his review of all of those cases.

[Douglas McAllister]

Today marks 3,224 days of my constituent Jagtar Singh Johal’s arbitrary detention and torture in an Indian prison. I welcome the Foreign Secretary to his place—he is the ninth Foreign Secretary in office since my constituent’s detention. What steps has he taken since his appointment to secure Jagtar’s release? Will he do more than just raise his case? Will he use his authority and take decisive action to end this injustice, and will he agree to meet Jagtar’s family as a priority?

[Stephen Doughty]

I thank my hon. Friend for his sustained and continued advocacy on behalf of his constituent, which is deeply powerful. I know it is of concern to many Members across this House. Despite some progress in Mr Johal’s legal proceedings, eight of the cases against him remain outstanding. We continue to raise concerns about his detention with the Government of India at every appropriate opportunity, emphasising the need for a prompt, full and just resolution of his cases within India’s independent legal system. The former Foreign Secretary raised the case on 4 June. The Foreign Secretary’s envoy for complex consular detentions met Mr Johal’s brother on 7 August, and I can confirm that we will meet the family in due course. Consular officials most recently visited Mr Johal on 29 July.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his consistent advocacy on Gibraltar. We are committed to finalising this treaty imminently. The draft treaty text is undergoing its final legal checks, and as he will know, a draft was previously deposited in the House with a summary on 26 February. We look forward to signature imminently, and the provisional application is expected on 15 July.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

I thank the Foreign Secretary for raising the case of my constituent Jagtar Singh Johal during her recent visit to India. Will she update the House on whether her discussions were positive? Are we any closer to securing Jagtar’s release and return home to West Dunbartonshire?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 21st April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

The right hon. Gentleman will know that we have publicly accessible registers in some of the overseas territories—in Gibraltar and Montserrat—and there has been welcome progress on legitimate interest access registers in a number of them, including in recent weeks, but I absolutely agree that we need to go much further. We are working closely to ensure that there is progress, and I have set out my expectations very clearly.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

I have always been assured by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary that the case of my constituent, Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been arbitrarily detained in India for eight and a half years, would continue to be raised at all levels, but I understand that the Foreign Secretary met her counterpart Jaishankar on two occasions recently and was unable to do so. Can I have the Foreign Secretary’s assurance that she remains committed to raising Jagtar’s case and is actively working to secure his release?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 20th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

Again, the right hon. Lady has made wild claims about costs. What she says is simply not the case. We have been absolutely clear that the UK will never compromise our national security. As we have made clear repeatedly, the agreement that we have struck is vital to protecting our national security and that of our allies, and to guaranteeing the long-term future of a base that is crucial for the UK and the United States. Our deal secures the operation of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations. It has backing from across the Five Eyes, as well as from other international partners. I remind the right hon. Lady that, in May, the US Secretary of State said,

“The Trump Administration determined that this agreement secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia.”

We will of course have discussions with the US Administration in coming days to remind them of the strength of this deal, and of how it secures the base, and I am surprised that these comments have been made in the context of difficult conversations about Greenland. The right hon. Lady joins us in standing for its sovereignty and right to self-determination, so I urge her to be a little more reflective in her comments.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

8. What steps her Department is taking to support UK citizens arbitrarily detained abroad.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Doughty and Douglas McAllister

Tuesday 14th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

I simply refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answers I have given repeatedly. This deal is in the interests of the United Kingdom and in the interests of the United States, and it has been supported by all parts of the United States Administration. There is no rush. There are ongoing discussions, but we are not going to give a running commentary.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

My constituent Jagtar Singh Johal has been in arbitrary detention in India for more than seven years. The Secretary of State and his ministerial team have been extremely generous with their time and assistance to help resolve the situation, but can I seek the Minister’s assurance that those efforts are ongoing?