Speeches by McDougall.

“I think you were here earlier when Professor Scott was talking about the very fine line between us even just writing down that the BBC World Service should be an instrument of foreign policy, and the editorial values of the other broadcasters you have just listed. I am interested in your perspective on how to ensure th…”

““It is just like Russia Today.””

“Professor Scott, I would like to develop an idea Dr Westcott introduced about what the Government seek to do through the World Service, in terms of both foreign policy objectives and soft power objectives. Are the Government clear-minded enough on what they want to achieve, or do they expect the World Service to achiev…”

“The idea of that sentence being put alongside comments from the editorial controllers of Russia Today is an important point, because they would talk about things in a similar way. Is it inevitable that increased Government support for the BBC World Service comes with that risk, or can it be avoided?”

“Leaving aside the independence aspect, I want to look at effectiveness and the idea of what the Government expect the World Service to deliver that it perhaps cannot. I worry sometimes that we are in a 20th-century mindset with tackling disinformation, as you mentioned. We might think it is two news organisations again…”

“Sir John asked the question I was going to ask, so we can press on.”

“T6. As we meet today, EU Foreign Ministers are reportedly discussing that Chinese manufacturing is now providing drones to the Russian war machine, specifically drones made in Xinjiang. Does that not further the need for Europe to deepen its own defence industrial base, and specifically, should we be securing an admini…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered UK supply chains and Uyghur and Turkic Muslim forced labour in China. Thank you for chairing this debate, Mr Dowd, and for the opportunity to highlight the issue. I thank the Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Lothian East (Mr Alexander), for being here to respond to t…”

“Thank you, Mr Dowd, for the opportunity to close the debate. I thank hon. Members for speaking up on behalf of the dignity and humanity of Uyghurs and other Muslims in this situation. I thank them for not using sanitised language in describing what is going on in the Uyghur region, which I was potentially guilty of mys…”

“I could not agree more. I thank my hon. Friend for the time he has taken to meet me and meet Uyghurs in the UK, and for his concern. On cotton, it is highly likely that high streets around the UK are today selling goods made by Muslim slaves from Xinjiang for brands such as Primark, Next, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, …”

“The motion in the application is a fairly straightforward restatement of long-standing existing policy towards Taiwan—and deliberately so, to provide an opportunity for a wide-ranging debate about Taiwan and the current situation and relationship between Taiwan and the PRC. The timing of the application is important be…”

“It is the air defence of Taiwan. It is the internationally recognised zone—it is the equivalent of territorial waters, but in the air.”

“Yes. And I think that the number of people bobbing in the Chamber whenever there is any sort of question on China is evidence of that.”

“There are eight at the moment. It was not terribly hard work to get that eight, I have to say. There is a large network of people with Parliament who are interested.”

“Unforced?”

“I am not surprised to see the Conservative Benches so empty as we come to scrutinising their economic record. People understand that our inheritance from the previous Government was not one of poor delivery or of an economic downturn, but was one of national decline. Everywhere we look in this country, things simply do…”

“8. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on supporting employment rights in Scotland.”

“I am sure the whole House will join me in congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Jon Pearce) on the birth of his daughter Connie. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] As my hon. Friend enjoys his paternity leave, I am sure the Minister will be familiar with the Dad Shift campaign, which seeks to increase pate…”

“The hon. Member may have seen that the Scottish Trades Union Congress has said that, for the SNP, “The Westminster blame game is finished. They have the money. They have the powers.” Will he acknowledge that this Budget ends austerity and that the Scottish Government now have no more excuses for their failures?”

“I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I thank the Foreign Secretary for making it clear that Jimmy Lai’s release is a priority, and I join hon. Members in saying that the issue is urgent, not just because of his failing health, but because once the trial restarts on 2…”