Speeches by McDougall.

“To go back to your original premise, I represent a very large Jewish community. Many of them have been obviously deeply traumatised by the pogrom on 7 October, but also deeply shocked by everything that has followed as well. They worry deeply that Israel’s international reputation has been deeply damaged not just by wh…”

“Thank you for your time, Mr Lapid. It is a matter of regret for us that the Israeli Government have not been willing to talk to us, so we thank you for coming before us. Can I go back to something you said a moment ago about how it is for the Israeli voters to decide? Unfortunately, people in Gaza cannot wait that long…”

“As chair of the all-party parliamentary groups on Uyghurs and on Hong Kong, I have lost count of the number of responses I have had from Ministers that have referred to today’s audit. I hope the Foreign Secretary will forgive me if I take today as the start of a conversation, rather than the last word on these matters.…”

“When the Foreign Affairs Committee was in Washington recently, we raised the Diego Garcia deal with the Administration. They could not have been more enthusiastic for this deal, because they recognise that it secures our strategic interests in the area. Does the Minister agree that it is perhaps time for Conservative M…”

“Sir Mark, can I ask about the growing role of China and Russia? We have seen Putin in the last few days offering himself as a peacemaker with regard to Iran, which is slightly ironic, but we have also seen the Chinese setting up this their own international multilateral organisation for peacemaking. To follow on from A…”

“I am going to do the terrible thing that people do in these Committees, which is to ask a non-politician a political question. I think back to previous moments of crisis of legitimacy within the United Nations. With Rwanda, there was real anger at the UN and its institutions. Around Iraq, there was anger at the United …”

“My worry is that it has become increasingly easy to just ignore what goes on in the United Nations. When you were sitting in your chair, working diligently all hours on these issues, how did it make you feel to see, perhaps, that it was not being voiced in places like this?”

“As Sir John intimated, when the Committee was recently in Washington, the Administration there could not have been more enthusiastic about this deal. Despite that, there has been a constant discussion in the background commentary about whether this opens us up to increased risks with regard to competition with China an…”

“On the long-term robustness of the deal, Mauritius is a country with increasingly strong links with China. There is a very large Sino-Mauritian population. The Mauritius Government recognises the PRC’s interpretation of Taiwan’s status. China funded their international airport. Are you worried about the potential for t…”

“I associate myself with the Foreign Secretary’s condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but we need to match that condemnation with accountability. Here in the UK, Jewish communities in particular are deeply concerned about what lies ahead. Last week, the Iranian ambassador acknowledged before the Foreign Affa…”

“The town of Barrhead in my constituency is full of extraordinary young people, which is why my Scottish Parliament colleague Paul O’Kane and I have reinstated the Barrhead Young Citizen of the Year award. However, after years of Tory and SNP neglect, Barrhead is also blighted by youth-led antisocial behaviour. Will the…”

“My hon. Friend makes an important point about making the case to China. Does he agree with me that this is about more than just Jimmy Lai, because the rights that Jimmy Lai was exercising when he was arrested were guaranteed under the joint declaration, and that brings into question whether China is a reliable partner …”

“I am suggesting that your moral authority is shredded by your support for Putin. Seyed Ali Mousavi: If you ask me to answer your question, Excellency, you have a duty to answer my question, because this is a dialogue room. I came here to declare our concerns to the responsible state, the United Kingdom. I respect the U…”

“You are here to answer questions, Ambassador. Seyed Ali Mousavi: No. This is very important.”

“I am suggesting— Seyed Ali Mousavi: Yes or no?”

“They are your weapons. Seyed Ali Mousavi: I will ask this question of you, or the American side, who are using the same military equipment against the Iranian people. Do you not have any defence or military co-operation between Israel and Britain?”

“8,000 Shahed drones have been fired at Ukraine. We are not allowed to do props, but seeing as you did, there is one of your drones hitting an apartment block in Kiev last night. Seyed Ali Mousavi: You can ask this question of the Russian Federation, sir.”

“What is the legal basis for Putin’s war in Ukraine that you have been supporting, if you are a fan of international law? Seyed Ali Mousavi: I will answer you. Please let me finish. Our defence co-operation between Iran and the Russian Federation is very important. We declared to the Russian side not to use our co-opera…”

“What is the legal basis for Putin’s war, then, if you are such a supporter of international law? Seyed Ali Mousavi: I am telling you to correct your wording regarding my Government. My Government are a legal Government, and there is no doubt about it. You should not use the word “regime”. It is a very lawful and legall…”

“I will tell you the number. The number is 8,000. I put it to you that, if we live in a world now where violence and might are taking precedent over law and right, the Iranian regime has a deep responsibility for that. Let me ask you another question. Again, this is a question with a simple number as an answer. The dire…”