Speeches by Kumaran.

“This is the first Adjournment debate that I have secured, and I am delighted to be a recipient of one of the hon. Gentleman’s famous Adjournment interventions—I have finally made it as a Member of Parliament. I certainly think that the spirit of the matchgirls reminds us that unionism and collective action have long be…”

“May I say how wonderful it is to have you in the Chair for this debate, Madam Deputy Speaker? You were in the Chair for my maiden speech, and this is my first ever Adjournment debate. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford South (Judith Cummins), who is also proudly wearing the ribbon that we are …”

“My hon. Friend is making an important point. My constituency of Stratford and Bow, in east London, was recently scored second best in the country on the Sutton Trust opportunity index, for opportunities for children to advance in life, and the neighbouring constituency, East Ham, scored top. London has severe inequalit…”

“That this urgent question could have been relevant at any time in the past 20 years is a damning indictment of the failure of the international community. This morning, my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) and I hosted Sudanese community voices alongside Médecins Sans Frontières, the British Medi…”

“Absolutely. My hon. Friend has made a very important point. As I was saying, I would like to ensure that the names of the strike and union committee members are recorded in Hansard, so that their contribution to the fight for the workers’ rights that we all enjoy today is remembered. They were Eliza Martin, Mary Naulls…”

“One in four countries report a backlash on women’s rights, according to the UN’s latest report, “Women’s Rights in Review”. Do you think the United Kingdom is doing enough to raise the profile of women, peace and security at the UN Security Council in the face of attempts by some countries to block progress on gender e…”

“Thank you. Can I use this opportunity to plug an exhibition I have about the match girls’ strike of 1888? I urge everyone here to have a look at that after you leave. It is about women fighting for their rights.”

“It has been 30 years since the Beijing declaration and platform for action, which was billed as the most visionary road map for women’s rights. However to put it into context, of the 18 peace agreements concluded in 2022, only one included a woman’s representative as a signatory. What does that say about the UK’s leade…”

“I was reading a fascinating report by UN Women yesterday. There is an estimated £420 billion a year shortfall in the funding needed to achieve gender equality. That is a huge sum of money, and states cannot do it alone. Outside of the UN Security Council, how is the UK using alternative diplomatic routes and channels, …”

“Do you think they are accurately communicating the situation that women in war zones are facing? I was in the west bank earlier this year and met a group of Bedouin women. They are facing very acute challenges and problems as women, whether access to sanitary products or medical care or childbirth—the list goes on. Doe…”

“I am here today on behalf of my young constituent, Imogen, and all young people facing tongue cancer. It is a rare cancer, with frightening and disabling treatment options. I am also here on behalf of my constituent Ros, who lost her mother to pancreatic cancer just 24 hours after diagnosis. Does the hon. Member agree …”

“Under the Tories last year, 60% of rape victims dropped out of their cases because they were left waiting years for justice. We finally have a Justice Secretary who has put victims first and allocated the highest number of sitting days on record. Given all the outrage from the Conservatives at the size of the backlog, …”

“Thank you. Can I just ask whether you would consider the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ recommendation that the perpetrators of atrocities are referred to the International Criminal Court—yes or no?”

“Foreign Secretary, I understand what you set out. For many people, this is not a soundbite; this is their life and their future. These are the things that people care about. That is why I am pressing you on the timescales. When you spoke to us in November, you said that your hope was that Israel would secure a normalis…”

“Thank you, Foreign Secretary. This will be my last question to you. In the last 24 hours, we have heard reports that at least 700 Palestinians have been shot while waiting for food at sites run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. There are further plans to expand on that: the Israeli Defence Minister now pla…”

“So Britain will be opposing any such plans.”

“Foreign Secretary, when you last appeared before the Committee in November 2024, I asked you about justice for the Tamil community. I want to start by saying how grateful I am to you for your personal commitment to this and the support that you have shown to the Tamil community for over a decade. You know my family’s s…”

“Foreign Secretary, you have set out extensively your take on recognition, but I want to press you a bit further. Your Department said earlier this year: “UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right…”

“I will wrap up all my questions into one. There is a view that development and defence should be seen as two sides of the same coin, and that talking about it in isolation is partly why we have got into the situation that we are in. When we spoke to the previous permanent under-secretary in November, he told us about t…”

“Thank you. The consistency point rings true with what we were told by staff on the ground when we were in Jordan; they were telling us the same thing. On the soft power point, do you think that this cut to 0.3% is having an impact on our place in the world and our soft power? Your budget is shrinking, and you are right…”