Speeches by Harding.

“It is for north-east Syria. There is a security risk around the ISIS prisoners in north-east Syria. Are there 12,000 of them, in what is a quite fragile security situation? What is being done about that? What are we doing to secure that risk?”

“Can I come back to the £5 million? Is that earmarked for north-east Syria?”

“My understanding is that education programmes and services to women and girls were scaled back as a result of those cuts in bilateral aid.”

“But programmes have been cut as a result?”

“Thank you, Minister, for coming to us. I know the middle east, other than Syria, is taking up a lot of time at the moment. In November 2025, you said, “humanitarian support overall has not been adequate to address the scale of the crisis in Syria”. Why, then, has the FCDO reduced bilateral aid funding by 36%, from £151…”

“I think there is a strong feeling that they resisted the ISIS threat for so long that they need to be supported as far as possible from the west, for want of a better term. Is it likely that that money, the £5 million, will increase over time, or is that it for now?”

“Can I come back to the £5 million? Is that earmarked for north-east Syria?”

“It is for north-east Syria. There is a security risk around the ISIS prisoners in north-east Syria. Are there 12,000 of them, in what is a quite fragile security situation? What is being done about that? What are we doing to secure that risk?”

“What is the assessment of the cuts between 2024 and 2025? What impact assessment has there been of that reduced funding within Syria?”

“My understanding is that education programmes and services to women and girls were scaled back as a result of those cuts in bilateral aid.”

“But programmes have been cut as a result?”

“What is the assessment of the cuts between 2024 and 2025? What impact assessment has there been of that reduced funding within Syria?”

“Thank you, Minister, for coming to us. I know the middle east, other than Syria, is taking up a lot of time at the moment. In November 2025, you said, “humanitarian support overall has not been adequate to address the scale of the crisis in Syria”. Why, then, has the FCDO reduced bilateral aid funding by 36%, from £151…”

“I think there is a strong feeling that they resisted the ISIS threat for so long that they need to be supported as far as possible from the west, for want of a better term. Is it likely that that money, the £5 million, will increase over time, or is that it for now?”

“It is for north-east Syria. There is a security risk around the ISIS prisoners in north-east Syria. Are there 12,000 of them, in what is a quite fragile security situation? What is being done about that? What are we doing to secure that risk?”

“My understanding is that education programmes and services to women and girls were scaled back as a result of those cuts in bilateral aid.”

“Can I come back to the £5 million? Is that earmarked for north-east Syria?”

“11. What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US plan for sustainable peace in Iran.”

“My constituents are deeply concerned about further escalation in the middle east and the UK being pulled further into a conflict with no clear objective. They are also concerned about the impact on their energy bills, inflation and interest rates. President Trump is attempting to pull us into his war of choice, urging …”

“The hon. Member is making such a powerful speech. I wish to draw attention to Princess Alice hospice in my constituency. It receives 20% of its funding from the Government, and the rest through selling woolly jumpers. Most constituents are not aware of this, but the hospice says that it can provide only a quarter of th…”