Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Russian Chess Federation's attempt to have sanctions against them lifted.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK Government recognises the independence and autonomy of international chess bodies. Decisions on who they include in events and competitions are for the organisers to take, within the framework of their own rules and regulations.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what review processes the Government has in place to assess the suitability of its trade and investment treaty commitments, including those over thirty-five years old, such as the UK-Russia Bilateral Investment Treaty.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s International Investment Agreements (IIAs) aim to enhance opportunities for UK businesses to expand overseas, with commitments that seek to limit the barriers they face, make it easier to navigate local rules, and ensure investments are treated lawfully, and protected against unfair or arbitrary action. There is no specific review process within such Agreements.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcomes were of his meeting with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission on foreign and security policy.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
On 22 October 2025, the Defence Secretary met in London with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the first foreign and security policy dialogue between the United Kingdom and the EU established under the recently agreed UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership. The Foreign Secretary also held a separate engagement with the High Representative during the visit. Together, these discussions underscored the shared commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation at this critical moment for Euro-Atlantic Security, particularly in support of Ukraine.
The Defence Secretary and the High Representative’s discussion emphasised the importance of effectively implementing the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership, including as a means of bolstering NATO. Their talks also covered European defence industrial mechanisms, including the SAFE initiative, EU Defence Readiness 2030, and the use of frozen Russian assets to help ensure Ukraine receives the support it needs in its defence against Russia. They looked ahead to future dialogues as an opportunity to further shared objectives.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Russian government in sub-Saharan Africa on (a) her Department's objectives and (b) the UK's international role.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February 2025 to Question 30979.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of a potential Ukraine-Russia peace proposal on the UK's capability commitments to NATO's Eastern Flank.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK welcomes the diplomatic efforts led by President Trump and President Zelenskyy to make progress towards a sustainable peace, and we continue to work closely with our European partners, the United States and Ukraine in support of these discussions which remain ongoing.
The UK’s commitment to NATO and Allied collective security is unwavering, as demonstrated by our commitments on the Eastern Flank. This includes the UK’s role as Framework Nation for the Forward Land Forces Battlegroup in Estonia, our regular deployments of Typhoon aircraft to support NATO Air Policing missions, and our contributions to maritime and surveillance operations in the Baltic region
These commitments remain enduring elements of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recent Ukraine-Russia peace proposals, whether he plans to accelerate any preparations to deploy a potential British peacekeeping force to Ukraine.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK is fully committed to a just and lasting peace and a permanent end to the horrendous suffering that this war has brought to Ukraine.
Convened by the Prime Minister and President Macron on 25 November, Coalition of the Willing Leaders met to discuss how to advance the current peace process and what more can be done to keep Ukraine in the fight now.
Leaders also discussed planning for the Multinational Force Ukraine. We continue to refine these plans on an enduring basis to ensure that a force can deploy in the days following the cessation of hostilities.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential implications for his policies of the use of anti-satellite weapons in all orbital regimes by a) Russia and b) China.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Space is increasingly contested, and actors are demonstrating the capability and intent to employ sophisticated counterspace capabilities. In response, Defence is enhancing resilience and redundancy in UK space systems to deter threats to and, if necessary, protect national interests. As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, we are delivering assured space-based capabilities by focusing on supporting UK freedom of action in space, decision advantage for real-time understanding, and integrated support to operations, including resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems, in collaboration with cross-Government partners.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of EU proposals for a €140 billion reparations loan backed by Russian state-owned assets; and whether she is considering a similar mechanism.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor is committed to exploring a reparations loan to enable the value of sanctioned Russian sovereign assets held in the UK to be directed to supporting Ukraine.
The government continues to work in partnership with international partners including the G7 and European Union to achieve this.
To date, the UK has provided £21.8bn in support for Ukraine. This includes the commitment to the provide £2.26bn as part of the $50bn Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Scheme for Ukraine, which utilised the extraordinary profits generated from immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets held in the EU.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the UK has raised for Ukraine through the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets; and how this compares with contributions from the EU and G7 countries.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor is committed to exploring a reparations loan to enable the value of sanctioned Russian sovereign assets held in the UK to be directed to supporting Ukraine.
The government continues to work in partnership with international partners including the G7 and European Union to achieve this.
To date, the UK has provided £21.8bn in support for Ukraine. This includes the commitment to the provide £2.26bn as part of the $50bn Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Scheme for Ukraine, which utilised the extraordinary profits generated from immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets held in the EU.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Oil Price Cap in limiting Russian energy revenues.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October, where she set out in detail the UK's approach on these issues. We will provide further updates to the House in due course.