Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to find a peaceful and lawful solution to the current constitutional crisis in that country.

Following the swearing in of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Sirisena on 16 December I made a statement welcoming progress made towards the peaceful resolution of the political impasse in Sri Lanka since October. This outcome is a welcome indication of the resilience of Sri Lanka's judicial and democratic institutions, and of effective checks and balances between state powers. The UK will continue to stand by Sri Lanka as a close partner and friend, supporting Sri Lanka as it works to deliver sustainable and accountable reform to reinvigorate the economy, improve governance, and safeguard human rights across the country.

Prior to this, I made statements on 26 and 29 October, and on 9 November, setting out our concerns at political developments in Sri Lanka and calling for due political and legal process to be upheld. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met regularly with all political parties, and expressed our concern at the behaviour of some MPs in disrupting Parliamentary proceedings.