Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the UK Trade Envoy to Brunei made representations to the Government of Brunei on the whipping and stoning to death of LGBT+ people during his visit to that country in November 2018.

The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Brunei, Paul Scully, did not make representations to the Government of Brunei on their internal laws when he visited in 2018 to promote the trade links between our countries.

This was the Trade Envoy’s first visit to Brunei in this capacity and as such was introduced to key stakeholders.

He was hosted by the Minister of Finance and Economy and focused on opportunities in: oil and gas; financial services; and technical / professional education. Human rights issues are the responsibility of the FCO.

The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during a visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently he raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally, the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.