Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he made of the implications for his policies of the the Sri Lankan Government's recent passing into law of the 20th amendment which appears to remove almost all checks on the power of the Executive President.

The UK government monitors political developments in Sri Lanka very closely, including the recent 20th Amendment to the Constitution which extends executive power over appointments to the judiciary and independent institutions. The UK Government has had regular discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka about democratic space, the centralisation of executive power and the military's role in governance. In a statement, delivered on behalf of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in June, the UK called on Sri Lanka to ensure that the country's democratic space remained open and accountable. The UK Government will continue to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka on this important issue.