Speeches by West.

“It is a delight to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris, and it was wonderful to hear the debate initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Jim Dickson). I thank him for securing it. I know that he has been active in supporting his constituents all along. I also pay tribute to the right hon. Member for S…”

“Let me wish a belated happy birthday to Sir David. His advocacy for the natural world is truly inspirational. We are committed to ratifying the agreement, and we will introduce legislation to implement it as soon as the legislative timetable allows.”

“The UN ocean conference is an important moment for protecting the ocean and progress towards UN sustainable development goal 14, “Life Below Water”. The UK is attending and actively involved in negotiating the political declaration for the conference.”

“The climate and ocean adaptation and sustainable transition programme is improving vulnerable coastal communities’ resilience to climate change, including: protecting and restoring coastal habitats; supporting nature-based solutions; improving small-scale fisheries management; and, the issue my hon. Friend raises, the …”

“We cannot address the urgency of the climate and nature crisis without co-ordinated global action. We are supporting nature restoration and resilience in many important ways, including by protecting and restoring forests, working with indigenous people in the Amazon and Congo basins, and supporting vulnerable coastal c…”

“The British Council has no greater champions than Labour Ministers on the Front Bench. It does a fantastic job to promote the UK abroad. Across this House, we love the British Council.”

“We will redouble our efforts to get into the legislative queue and do all that is necessary to maintain our leadership in this important area.”

“I thank the shadow Minister for his question. Following the trip that he and I did together when we were both on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am sure he is aware that the marine protected area will continue and that the environment has been at the heart of the negotiations. Indeed, he must remember that, because wh…”

“My hon. Friend is quite right to push the Government on this issue, and the FCDO will redouble our efforts in this place to make sure that we do the necessary work to conclude the legal process.”

“As the Foreign Secretary said in his Kew lecture, we are completely committed to ratifying the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction agreement. Primary legislation is required to give effect to our obligations under the agreement, and legislation to implement the agreement will be introduced…”

“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s humanitarian framework sets out our long-term approach through three policy priorities: providing humanitarian assistance for those in greatest need; protecting people at risk in conflict and crises; and preventing and anticipating future shocks and building resilience…”

“We have an excellent programme called Education Cannot Wait, which in 2024 provided £12 million in first emergency response grants covering not just the educational needs but the psychosocial needs of those affected by conflict and trauma.”

“As the Prime Minister set out, the UK will continue to play a leading humanitarian role, including in Gaza, where children must be allowed to return to school in safety. Through our global funding, the UK enables thousands of children to gain access to essential education services, supporting recovery from the trauma o…”

“The UK is a principled humanitarian donor. We prioritise giving humanitarian assistance to people in greatest need, which includes protecting the most vulnerable by supporting access to education in emergencies and crises. Decisions on future budgets are subject to the ongoing spending review and resource allocation pr…”

“It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Madam Deputy Speaker, and to respond to Members in what has been a fascinating debate. I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing it, and I am very grateful for the contributions of other hon. Members. I will try to respond to all…”

“Of course I agree that freedom of religion or belief, or the right to have no belief at all, is critical and paramount. I know that organisations such as Index on Censorship, which the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) is part of, are very robust in that regard. It is crucial that we have the right to freedom…”

“I reiterate my position that we uphold freedoms. On the specific point that the hon. Gentleman would like me to fall into a trap on, if he would write to me so that I can get exactly the right language, I would be pleased to write back. I want to pursue my point about the importance of this not being a counsel of despa…”

“With my hon. Friend’s permission, I will write to her on that point or ask the Minister for the Middle East to write to her. With Israel being a close friend of the UK, we have a trading relationship with it. On her specific point about whether there are particular products that could be purchased to support the situat…”

“As my hon. Friend will, I think, appreciate, many Israelis say that people outside the region simply do not understand their desire for security. Equally, Palestinian communities say that those outside the region cannot possibly understand the extent of their suffering. That, in a nutshell, is the depth of what we are …”

“My hon. Friend is right to say that funding is one thing and access is another. That is why it is crucial that we have been pressing the Government of Israel to ensure that vital aid can reach Gaza and that our humanitarian partners, including the United Nations, can deliver their work effectively. I am grateful to the…”