David Taylor
MP for Hemel Hempstead · Labour · United Kingdom
“As the UK trade envoy to Japan, I strongly welcome the £8.6 billion for the GCAP and Tempest project. Does the Secretary of State agree that this is a clear vote of confidence that will enable project partners in our country, Japan and Italy to make strong headway with that project at last?”
“I will not, unless the hon. Member wants to apologise for some of his remarks. Where do we even begin with some of the things that we have heard in the Chamber in recent years? In relation to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, one Member referred to a stunt by an MP representing the Zionist lobby.”
“I will begin, as many have, by associating myself with the remarks of the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont). In the interests of time, I will skip over the many things on which I agreed with him and talk about some of our role as leaders. What I am about to say is not meant as a partisan attack.”
“There was an attack on Labour Friends of Israel, which receives no money whatsoever from the Israeli Government. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) referred to a list. I have also been on that infamous list. I am proud that one of those donors is a big supporter of refugee rights around the world.”
“He has never apologised properly for those remarks, if at all, and it has since been revealed that he actively supports members of his party who have rightly been suspended for antisemitism.”
“I want to put on record my appreciation for the incredible work that Jo did for the people of Syria, and for the incredible work that the Minister and the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) did after she was murdered.”
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“As the UK trade envoy to Japan, I strongly welcome the £8.6 billion for the GCAP and Tempest project. Does the Secretary of State agree that this is a clear vote of confidence that will enable project partners in our country, Japan and Italy to make strong headway with that project at last?”
“There was an attack on Labour Friends of Israel, which receives no money whatsoever from the Israeli Government. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) referred to a list. I have also been on that infamous list. I am proud that one of those donors is a big supporter of refugee rights around the world. He just happens to be Jewish. How many conversations have I had with him about Israel and the actions of the Israeli Government? Zero. The idea that any of us is somehow having their strings pulled by anyone is an absolute disgrace.”
“I will begin, as many have, by associating myself with the remarks of the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont). In the interests of time, I will skip over the many things on which I agreed with him and talk about some of our role as leaders. What I am about to say is not meant as a partisan attack. I am just as angry about incidents of antisemitism in my own party as I am when I see it in others. On that note, and on this day in particular, I pay tribute to the Prime Minister, who rooted out the poisonous antisemitism that had taken hold of our party. However, the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) talked about choosing our words carefully before going straight into the conflation of the actions of the Israeli Government with the Jewish people.”
“He has never apologised properly for those remarks, if at all, and it has since been revealed that he actively supports members of his party who have rightly been suspended for antisemitism. We leaders have a responsibility to be careful with our words and not stir up hatred in the community, among which is a very fragile Jewish community reeling from ever-more antisemitic attacks. In the case of the Golders Green attacks, there was serious injury and death, too.”
“I will not, unless the hon. Member wants to apologise for some of his remarks. Where do we even begin with some of the things that we have heard in the Chamber in recent years? In relation to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, one Member referred to a stunt by an MP representing the Zionist lobby. Another MP referred to Israel’s “thirst” for the “blood of innocent civilians” in a clear antisemitic trope. Another referred to the “blood-soaked tentacles” of the Israel Defence Forces—another clear antisemitic trope. That is before we get to political parties outside the Chamber, which are not yet represented in this House in any decent numbers. I am referring to the Green party, and specifically to its deputy leader, who talked about supporting the right of indigenous people to fight back on 7 October, the day the attacks happened.”
“The hon. Member rightly mentioned Russia and China. Does he agree that Iran also poses a massive threat, is interfering in our democracy and is behind some antisemitic attacks and the spreading of some antisemitic conspiracy theories?”
“I want to put on record my appreciation for the incredible work that Jo did for the people of Syria, and for the incredible work that the Minister and the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) did after she was murdered. They took forward that cause at a moment when they were both experiencing the great grief of Jo’s murder. The Syrian people are grateful for the work that Jo did, and that they continued to do, during that very difficult period.”
“Should we also be talking more about the VAJA—Iran’s intelligence agency—and its activities in the UK? I urge my Government to ensure that as soon as the new law is passed, it will be immediately acted on. By that I mean that our intelligence officers must fully understand the powers available to them through not only the new legislation but existing legislation. This week, I had the pleasure of hosting Jonathan Hackett, a US marine veteran and expert on counterintelligence and intelligence operations. He made the point that, sometimes on the ground, some of our intelligence officers are not fully aware of the powers available to them. It is crucial both that they are aware of the powers they have to take action and that they have the resources and capabilities to do so.”
“Along with other colleagues across the House, I have been campaigning for proscription of the IRGC for some time. I was therefore delighted to see the announcement in the King’s Speech of the tackling state threats Bill to give the Home Secretary new powers to clamp down on foreign states and organisations posing a threat to our national security. I hope that will come alongside further and faster action to tackle the Iranian threat to us—as we have tried to do with Putin—including against its vast property empire in London and against its spreading of hatred and disinformation on social media, which is designed to sow discord and division in the UK. Are we robustly analysing the Companies House register to ensure that Bank Melli and its many subsidiaries are not dodging sanctions simply by changing their names at Companies House?”
“That would close a legal loophole that currently allows them to pay UK nationals and operate through intermediaries without restriction. Connected to that is Rad Media World, a company with links to Iran that The Sunday Telegraph just reported is using the skilled worker visa scheme completely legally. I hope that the Foreign Office will revoke that ability as well as track individuals who came here through that scheme. There is also the issue of the charities that the Shawcross review has linked to Iran. In the interests of time, I will not repeat what I have said before, but I agree with the call of my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol North East (Damien Egan) for the Charity Commission to have extra resource to go after those charities and close them down.”
“Let us be clear: there is another major driver of antisemitism in this country, and that is the Islamist regime in Iran. The group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility for the ambulance arson attack among others. The US Department of Justice now believes that it was a front designed to carry out terrorist attacks at the behest of the IRGC and its proxies. Meanwhile, we have Iran’s PressTV as well as its Spanish mouthpiece HispanTV. Its UK based show “Palestine Declassified” has regularly platformed conspiracy theorists and targeted Jewish schools in Britain as well as charities and individuals. I repeat my call for financial sanctions to be placed on them, as the US, Australia, Canada and the EU have done.”
“I further welcome the £25 million in additional funding to help protect Jewish communities, bringing the total to nearly £60 million. I agree with the Board of Deputies, which calls for an end to incitement at pro-Palestinian protests, where antisemitic hate speech frequently takes place. It has also called for the use of public order powers to restrict and ban marches where necessary. If we look at the marches last weekend, speakers from one of the march organisers, Palestinian Forum in Britain, told the crowd that Israel is a “Zionist cancer”. Meanwhile, across London at the other, far-right march, a banner was proudly displayed that read, “End the Zionist occupation of Britain”. Perhaps they could have saved the taxpayer the £4.5 million policing bill by combining their marches.”
“Jewish people in the UK are not responsible for the actions of the Netanyahu Government, and antisemitism did not start on 7 October. Israel had not yet begun its operations in Gaza in response to Hamas’s attack when the deputy leader of the Green party filmed a video saying that people should “support the right of indigenous people to fight back”. Antisemitism is often called the oldest hatred. I welcome His Majesty the King’s specific mention of antisemitism and the need to take urgent action to ensure that all communities feel safe. I welcome the commitment that the Prime Minister himself has shown in tackling antisemitism, both in our party and in government, including through the recent summit in Downing Street with the Jewish community.”
“It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Wetherby and Easingwold (Sir Alec Shelbrooke), who I know is a vocal champion of tackling antisemitism, which I will focus on in my remarks. In Tower Hamlets last week, a young man was filmed saying the most chilling antisemitic words: “The Jews, you’re going to be beheaded one by one, you dirty Jews.” He has been identified and arrested, and I thank the Met police for their action. I have picked that as just one example of the crisis we face on antisemitism. From the Golders Green terrorist attack to the Hatzola ambulance arson attack, these incidents continue to rise. What is behind this antisemitism? What radicalises individuals to act in this way? Who is responsible for these attacks? It should not need saying, but I will spell it out.”
“I am grateful for the Minister’s update and his answers, particularly on charities, but I urge him to meet me, other concerned MPs and the CST to discuss how the Government’s approach to antisemitism and the security of Jewish communities can be further strengthened.”
“This is not a series of isolated crimes; this is a pattern of frequent and repeated targeting of Jewish sites and communities across London, designed to intimidate and make people feel unsafe in their daily lives. If foreign-linked actors like Iran are using individuals in the UK to carry out attacks on Jewish sites, that is not just a policing matter; it is, of course, a national security issue. I again raise the urgent need for financial sanctions on Iran’s PressTV, where Palestine Declassified broadcasts information about Jewish charities, and its antisemitic presenters have suggested on Twitter that direct action against Jewish community institutions is appropriate.”
“That is evidenced by the fact that the poster promoting the rally included the regime’s flag, but more importantly showed that the organisers of that event were not only the CND and the “stop some wars” coalition, but groups such as the Islamic human rights commission, which the Shawcross review named as an “Islamist group”, with links to the Iranian regime. There are also photos and video evidence of pro-regime flags, placards and chants, including chants of “death to Israel”. Finally, despite public comments made by the leader of the Green party and its other deputy leader, I wish to state my belief that there was nothing remotely offensive, racist or Islamophobic in either the question from the right hon. Member for Wetherby and Easingwold or the Prime Minister’s response.”
“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wish to clarify the record in response to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Dr Chowns) on Monday, following the statement on Iran, in which she claimed that the reputation of the Green party deputy leader, Mothin Ali, had been “incorrectly attacked” by the right hon. Member for Wetherby and Easingwold (Sir Alec Shelbrooke). In fact, the right hon. Gentleman was entirely correct in stating that the Green party deputy leader had attended a pro-Iranian regime rally.”
“It has been heartening to see the scenes of jubilation from Iranians, from Syrians and from British Iranians in this country at the death of the evil ayatollah. They hope that it will enable them ultimately to finally gain their freedom from this horrific regime. As the situation evolves, may I ask the Prime Minister to keep them in his mind’s eye? Will he engage and meet with some of the Iranian activists who reside in the UK? In addition, if it does look as if the regime is going to fall, can officials think about the ways in which we can support the Iranian people to rebuild their institutions and infrastructure, and to provide aid, just as we are currently doing in Syria?”
“I welcome the Minister’s statement, in which he referred to post offices being multi-carrier parcel hubs. One such carrier is Evri, and I visited its depot in my constituency of Hemel Hempstead last week with the GMB London region rep Danni Egan. I met dedicated couriers who were doing vital and often undervalued work. How do the Government plan to support private couriers, and companies that are willing to work alongside trade unions to ensure that these workers, too, get better pay and conditions?”
“I hope that when the Minister winds up, he will reflect on some of the points I have covered. I will make one final plea on behalf of these organisations: they would love an opportunity to meet the Minister or his officials to discuss some of the challenges they are facing and the practical ways we can help to increase the support we are giving to Ukraine.”
“I have also seen pictures of nets over highways to protect convoys of vehicles. Those are some practical suggestions. As I said earlier, no one—certainly not those organisations—is suggesting that these interventions alone will be enough to push the Russians back. In fact, it would be remiss of me not to say that the organisations have said almost the opposite: they wanted me to make the point that as vital as their work is, it is incredibly important that we continue to provide the hard power and military aid. I am proud that our Government are doing that, but it is really a message to the whole of the west. I want to reference the point that the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) made about the need for long-range missiles, too.”
“I have encountered this myself, with a ridiculous amount of time spent waiting at the Polish border because a minor piece of paperwork was missing. Really, the Polish authorities should be doing more to enable these vehicles to be driven over the border with more ease. I wonder whether there is more we can do to have some of those discussions. The final point I will make on this front is around drone nets. As we know, drones are a constant threat from the Russians. A number of organisations are bringing over old fishing nets—I pay cross-party tribute to the Scottish Government, who announced a few days ago a donation of upwards of 200,000 Scottish fishing nets—which is a small thing, but it helps to protect cities on the eastern front from Russian drone incursions.”
“If you have old ambulances you don’t need, can we have them?” They could take it to food companies and supermarkets to help speed up the donation of food for humanitarian convoys and so on. Another point related to travelling across the channel, whether by ferry or via the tunnel, and whether the Government could have discussions with the private operators of the channel tunnel and the ferry companies to encourage them to offer a discount or even waive the fee on the cost of getting vehicles over the channel. In a convoy of 20 vehicles the cost adds up to a not insignificant amount of money. Related to that, the organisations have also asked if more can be done to remove customs red tape, not just at the UK border but all the way through to Ukraine.”
“Ahead of this debate, I sent a message to the group I brought together last year to ask if they had specific suggestions that they would like me to raise today, so here are just a few. The organisation Surrey Stands With Ukraine asked whether there could be some form of list of recognised and approved UK humanitarian charities, which could then be used by those organisations to ask for donations from the public or private sector. For example, if there was a list that said, “These organisations have a track record of delivering to Ukraine in an effective way,” they might be able get some form of letter that they could then take to their local NHS trust to say, “We are a serious outfit, we have the right intentions, and we have approvals and checks.”
“Unfortunately, some of the responses to my letters have shown that there is perhaps a need for a single accountable body that could better co-ordinate this effort. I do not count the MOD in that regard. It has set out some of the excellent work it is already doing, but maybe some of the other Departments could work better together to get some vehicles donated. That includes His Majesty’s Treasury. These are public assets and there is a decision that needs to be made to write them off. That is creating some of the bottlenecks and delays that I have encountered. As I say, I think this is a relatively small cost to the taxpayer overall, so it is worth doing. My second point is about support for the charities themselves.”
“They are vital things that soldiers need. Network Rail may have vehicles such as Land Rovers on its estate that could easily be written off and donated. To that end, I have written to a number of Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Transport to ask if surplus and end-of-life vehicles could be donated. With the police’s new powers to seize off-road vehicles driven in an antisocial way, instead of those vehicles being crushed—as satisfying as that is to a lot of us, I am sure—I have also argued that they could instead be donated. We have quad bikes, dirt bikes and scramblers that Ukrainian soldiers could find quite helpful in the forests.”
“There are a couple of points I want to make about how we might be able to support those efforts more, first on what the UK Government could be doing to supply more vehicles that are on the Government estate but are reaching their end of life and could be used with relatively little cost to the UK taxpayer. I will just take a moment to step back and say why these vehicles matter. The £4.5 billion we will providing this year alone is testament to the fact that we need hard power going into Ukraine—no one is arguing otherwise—but small vehicles have an important contribution to make. They help soldiers to go from A to B with ease, and they help to get supplies in. Some have been turned into makeshift ambulances, because of course the Russians would target anything that was white with a red cross on it.”
“There is an organisation taking out former ambulances to be used out there. Other organisations working there include Pick Ups For Peace, UK4UA.org, and Surrey Stands With Ukraine. I will not list them all, but I had the opportunity to invite a number of them to Parliament last year for an event, with about 60 individuals representing 30 such organisations. I pay tribute to the incredible work they are doing day in, day out. They are putting their own lives at risk to go not just to the Polish border, but, as I said, into Ukraine—often beyond Kyiv and into the east of the country.”
“It was an incredible honour to be part of that, because I come from a humanitarian background—I have worked for charities including Oxfam in the past—and I support the need for the vital work that humanitarian aid organisations do day in, day out. But I have also always believed, back from when I first had the opportunity to go to Kosovo, that we should not be shy about the need for military support as well, and I felt that I personally wanted to contribute to that by being part of this convoy. The organisation involved in that convoy was Help99. It is one of a number around Europe that contributes in this way. Some of them deliver purely humanitarian aid, such as delivering fire trucks. Fire Aid, an organisation supported by the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), is doing brilliant work.”
“But I want to focus my remarks on some specific points about an area of work that I am trying to get colleagues to support: increasing the amount of small vehicles and drones and supplies going out to help the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military; and the work being done by a number of UK charities and individuals in this endeavour. As Members will have heard me say before, I went out in the spring of 2024, driving with a convoy of vehicles with an Estonian-based charity, but with vehicles joining from the UK, all the way through the channel tunnel and Germany to the Polish border and then overnight to Kyiv.”
“It is an honour to speak in this debate, and I associate myself with the remarks of everyone who has spoken in the Chamber so far, not least in making the point that there continues to be cross-party agreement for resolute support behind Ukraine, and there is still, I believe, resolute support for the Ukrainian people from the British people. I join the right hon. Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) in paying tribute to Ukrainians in our communities who have come over from Ukraine, including those in the Hemel Hempstead branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, who marched through the town centre at the weekend to mark the fourth anniversary of the war and who continue to contribute outstandingly to our town.”
“The Minister noted the absence of Reform from this debate. I also note the absence of the Green party. Perhaps they are too busy spreading sectarian hate up in Gorton and Denton, or undermining NATO at every corner. Does he agree?”
“Even more depressing than that, I have heard reports that Iranian freedom protesters, including women, have been beaten up when they have attempted to hold these people to account outside their own centre. When Ministers are considering this question of proscription, I ask them to look at other groups such as the HRC, which operates under the guise of standing up for human rights when they are doing anything but that.”
“I wish to associate myself with the remarks that have been made by a number of Members, particularly those of my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden). I continue to advocate for ways in which the west can degrade the ability of the IRGC to kill protesters, such as targeted strikes on arms depots. I wish though to turn my remarks to the matter of proscription. I am grateful for the Government moving forward with ways to look at proscribing the IRGC, but there is also the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which is linked to the Iranian regime, according to The Times and others. Just this weekend, it was seen on the streets of London with placards and chants in support of the Ayatollah.”
“On behalf of the all-party parliamentary group on Japan, may I say arigato gozaimasu to the Prime Minister for his visit? I hope that he had a sugoi time. I think that all of us in the House are proud of the global combat air programme, which holds great opportunities not only for global, regional and UK security but for British jobs. The Prime Minister mentioned that Japan is already one of the main investors in the UK; does he share my hope that this programme, just like the Concorde programme with France all those years ago, will have knock-on benefits for British jobs and innovations in our economy?”
“I hate to disagree with the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell), who I respect greatly, but in an era when we have less money I wonder whether we should focus on reaching the poorest people the most. There are other models, including the International Finance Facility for Education and the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, that offer ways to leverage much more money. By putting in a small amount, we can leverage up to four times more. Will Ministers, including a Treasury Minister, meet me to discuss such proposals and consider innovative forms of development finance in an era of less ODA?”
“The Trump Administration initially indicated that they would protect protesters when they came out, which they have done in droves, but, as many Members have indicated, thousands upon thousands of them have now been killed. We worry about outside interference, but if we listen to a lot of the protesters, they are actually demanding help from outside. I do not, and I am sure other Members do not, want to be standing here in a few years’ time, looking back and thinking, “What if?” Given that half a million people died in the recent Syrian civil war when a straightforward no-fly zone could have protected them, I urge Ministers to keep everything on the table and to talk to partners about how we might be able to degrade the IRGC’s ability to kill thousands of protesters, because I do not think it is going to stop.”
“Half a million people died in Syria because of the actions of Assad and Putin, and I question whether Putin would have felt emboldened to invade Ukraine—Crimea—in 2014 if our country and the United States had taken a stronger role back in 2013, when that red line was set. I want to take a moment to reflect on what the Minister said about parties not being present, because another party is absent too: Your Party. Members of that party and of the hard left look at this conflict in Ukraine and blame the west. Hon. Members may remember the ridiculous statement that blamed NATO expansion for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Let us be absolutely clear: there was no excuse, and there never will be any excuse, for Putin’s actions in Ukraine.”
“I shall try to follow your advice, Madam Deputy Speaker. Let me begin by paying tribute to what Members have said already, and also to the fact that a number of Members in all parties have contributed in many different ways in trying to stand up for the Ukrainian people, not only in speeches in the House but through the initiatives that they are taking. I want to talk briefly about my own motivation, which starts in Syria. Here I should refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, which includes a reference to my role in that regard. As Members will know, I have a deep-seated passion for seeing that the Syrian people have a proper free and inclusive future after years of brutal dictatorship from Assad, and, of course, Putin was central to that.”
“I went there with an organisation called Help99. It delivers pick-up trucks that farmers do not need any more. Soldiers use them on the frontline to get from A to B. To go back to an earlier point, long-range missiles and expensive technology are really important, but we also need the things that will help soldiers on the ground. I pay tribute to those organisations. I had the privilege of hosting an event on this subject in Parliament last year, at which over 60 individuals and over 30 organisations from around the country came together. I encourage the Government to look at ways that any excess vehicles on the Government estate, be they at the Home Office or at Network Rail, can be donated cheaply. Let us get the Treasury to write off these vehicles.”
“The Ukrainians have the data, and the lived experience that can help us to build drones together. That will help us, and will help them in this war. I hope that, in the wind-ups, the Minister can talk about how we can work with the City of London to unlock more capital that will go into the country. I want to talk briefly about a second trip I made, way back in 2024, when I was but a humble candidate. There are a number of organisations up and down the UK involving ordinary people who are trying to help in a grassroots way, in any way that they can. At a time when there is so much talk about charity beginning at home, and about problems here, it is remarkable that so many ordinary people have stepped up to help people they will probably never meet. Some have gone to Ukraine, and I want to pay tribute to them.”
“Yes, we need investments in advanced technology, but we also need the Kalashnikovs of the sky—weapons for which parts are easy to come by and that are easy to repair. On drones, I echo a point made by the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell). I agree that we need to look at how we can get more UK finance into Ukraine through joint ventures that can help with the production of drones. If we can work with the City of London to look at ways in which we can unlock any barriers that may exist, that would be a worthwhile venture, because we need to get more capital into the country to help Ukrainian companies, as well as our own, to build drones. The Octopus drone scheme is a brilliant example of our trying to work with the Ukrainians. There is a real opportunity here.”
“I had some absolutely amazing meetings while I was there, including with Deputy Defence Minister Sergiy Boyev, as well as with Ukrainian MPs who many hon. Members will know, such as Dmytro Natalukha and Oleksander Marikovskyi, who are members of the Economic Affairs Committee. Dmytro referred to the vital importance of drones and the need for what he called the Kalashnikovs of the sky. A Kalashnikov is of course a very durable weapon, and if it does break in any way it is very easy to repair. As well as the most important high tech, the Ukrainians continue to need the everyday drones that can help on the frontline to do reconnaissance, so that they know the Russian positions, and help them as they try to advance.”
“I also welcome the commitment with France to deploy peacekeepers at some point in the future. However, we must continue to support the Ukrainian people, because I fear that the Russians will use any pause in fighting as an opportunity to re-group and go again. We cannot be under any illusion about the threat from Russia. Many of us have been part of the armed forces parliamentary scheme. I had an opportunity to visit our fantastic troops in the Tapa base in Estonia just before Christmas, which really brought home just how real the threat from Russia continues to be. I have made a couple of trips to Ukraine since the conflict started. The most recent one, almost a year ago, focused on drone technology and the imperative of supporting the Ukrainians in defending themselves.”
“Much as we may praise the actions of our Government or any other Government, we must of course praise the bravery of the Ukrainian people at the start of that conflict in stopping the tanks rolling into Kyiv. I am very grateful for the work that Ministers and the Prime Minister are doing to support the Ukrainian people, and we have heard some of the figures about the billions going on defence spending. I am particularly grateful for the £3.5 billion that will be spent on hardware under the defence industry support treaty, and the continued support for Operation Interflex training and for the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which has over 50 partners, as well as for the British built octopus drones that will be so crucial. I absolutely welcome the talks towards a ceasefire. Who would not want a ceasefire?”
“I think we know who Putin’s friends are, and that is a matter of public record. I completely agree, and if I had had time during my question on the Iran statement yesterday, I would have spoken about the role that Iran is playing in Ukraine. Shahed drones, which all of us who have been to Ukraine have had to cower from, are being provided by the Iranian regime, so the sooner it falls the better. I want to praise Conservative Members for the role they played, alongside my own, in the lead-up to the conflict. In particular, I praise Ben Wallace for his role, especially in putting in place the next-generation light anti-tank weapons, because it was so crucial at the start of the conflict that Kyiv did not fall.”
“I hope that if that money is unlocked, we look at ways to compensate for the money that is going into Ukraine by freeing up money that might be able to go to other conflicts around the world, where we have sadly made some reductions due to the cut to the aid budget.”
“It is telling that, in the past few weeks, we have heard absolutely nothing from Your Party, the Greens, the Socialist Campaign Group or the “stop some wars” coalition. Where have been the marches in solidarity with the Iranian people? You cannot claim to be a progressive and to care about social justice if you do not want to see the total and immediate fall of this despotic, theocratic regime. Will the Foreign Secretary listen to the advice of the right hon. Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat), who I think the whole House would agree is a fantastic advocate for the Iranian people, by talking with other partners and—I hope—with Iranian activists here in the UK, about what we can do, if the regime falls, to support the Iranian people immediately to build a better future, as we are trying to do in Syria?”
“I associate myself with the remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion), the Chair of the Select Committee—of which I am a member—and the remarks of others who have spoken about the horrors unfolding in front of our eyes. We have heard reports that Tawila is next. There are 650,000 people there, including desperate civilians, and probably also aid workers who are British citizens. I also associate myself with the remarks made by the former International Development Secretary, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell). What more can we do to help protect civilians from harm right now? I hope that the ceasefire negotiations that the Foreign Secretary is doing so much to try to bring about include us looking seriously at some kind of peacekeeping force to protect civilians from harm.”