Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Recent political developments in Poland at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.

We recognise the worries that many countries, including Poland, have over the malign influence or interference of Russia in their domestic agenda. HMG expressed concerns in June 2023 that Poland's proposed State Commission on Russian Influence could undermine trust in the electoral process, which would not be in anyone's interests. President Duda has proposed amendments to the law, which the Polish parliament is considering. This is an important step. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has urgently requested an opinion on the State Commission law. We now await the opinion of the Venice Commission. As a good friend of Poland, the UK government will continue to follow this issue closely.