Every parliamentary written question tabled by Desmond Swayne this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–30 of 30 · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the murder of Christians in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria on 14 October 2025; and what discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterpart on taking steps to end targeted attacks on Christians.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided by Baroness Chapman to question HL10250 on 23 September.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Burkina Faso on violence towards Christian communities in that country; and what steps she is taking to promote religious freedom in Burkina Faso.
The UK is committed to supporting efforts to address the root causes of violence and discrimination in Burkina Faso.I also refer the Right Hon. Member to the answer Minister Falconer gave on 9 July to Question 63385, concerning UK calls for action on human rights abuses, the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the government in Myanmar on the destruction of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Kachin State in March 2025; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) places of worship are protected and (b) religious freedom is promoted in that country.
The UK is deeply concerned by reports of attacks on places of worship, including the destruction of St Patrick's Cathedral in Kachin State. We remain committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all communities in Myanmar, and consistently raise concerns about the treatment of religious minorities and their places of worship in international fora. In April this year, the UK co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar, calling for the military to fully respect and protect the human rights of all persons in Myanmar, including religious minorities.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding persistent attacks by Israeli settlers on Taybeh in the West Bank.
The UK Government condemns settler violence. We regularly raise settler violence with Israeli ministers and officials, and we are clear that the Israeli government must clamp down on settler violence and settlement expansion. The UK has taken action to hold perpetrators and supporters of settler violence to account. On 10 June, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in their personal capacity for inciting violence towards Palestinians. This was alongside action from our partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations supporting violence against Palestinian Communities in the West Bank.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has raised the religious persecution of Leah Sharibu in bilateral discussions with President Tinubu of Nigeria.
The UK strongly condemns Leah Sharibu's abduction and has repeatedly called for her release and the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA). We have raised Leah's case with the Government of Nigeria, and the Minister for Africa will continue to do so in future engagements. More broadly, we continue to engage with the Government of Nigeria to support efforts to tackle insecurity and prevent further kidnappings, which includes support to Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell, through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Syrian counterpart on the murder of Mahmood Ghassa; and what steps he is taking to support the protection of religious minorities in Syria.
The UK is engaging privately and regularly with the Syrian government at every level. We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians. I raised this with Syrian Foreign Minister Al Shaibani when we met in March and pressed the Syrian Government to take concrete action following the horrific violence committed against the Alawite community. The UK Special Representative for Syria visited Damascus last week to discuss developments.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps to support Christians in northern Cameroon who are facing (a) violence from and (b) displacement following Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help tackle religious persecution in that region.
The UK is supporting the Cameroonian authorities in the fight against terrorism in the Far North region of Cameroon, and assisting communities affected by violence and displacement. This includes via regular diplomatic engagement, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora, and through frequent visits to the region to engage with communities and authorities. Over the past five years, the UK has provided £20 million in humanitarian and development assistance to Cameroon, much of it focused on the Far North, and continues to back stabilisation efforts in the Lake Chad region. More broadly, the UK Government continues to monitor civil and political rights in Cameroon and is committed to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). This includes advocating for the protections of all vulnerable communities through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as bilaterally with the Government of Cameroon and other influential parties.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks on communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle violence against religious communities in the region.
The UK is closely monitoring recent reports of violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt. Intercommunal violence has a devastating effect on communities. The root causes are complex and frequently relate to competition over resources, historical grievances, and criminality. We are supporting Nigeria to tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme and continue to engage in local and national peace-building efforts. The UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) is building capacity in Nigeria's security forces to tackle violence against all civilian communities, including religious communities.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing sanctions on people associated with the detention of Alaa Abd El-Fattah in Egypt.
The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah's release and we continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised the case in a letter to President Sisi on 4 May. The National Security Adviser also raised Mr-El Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on 27 April and the Foreign Secretary raised with him on 9 April.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the UN implements the recommendations of the Final Report of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to En
The government is confident that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is taking action to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality and is strengthening its procedures. £1 million of the £21 mill...