Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) help strengthen and lengthen the recently announced ceasefire in Syria and (b) ensure that humanitarian access in that area remains practicable.

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson),welcomed the restored Cessation of Hostilities which began on 12 September. The key components of this Cessation were an end to attacks on civilians and moderate groups, and full humanitarian access across Syria.

However, the Cessation of Hostilities was eroded and discredited by regime violations and has now broken down. We are seeing some of the worst violence of the conflict in the appalling, indiscriminate bombardment of Aleppo.

The UK will continue to work with our partners to keep the focus on what is happening, to call for the Cessation of Hostilities to be restored – with full humanitarian access - to allow the resumption of a political process. Political transition away from Asad is the only long-term solution.