Speeches by Brandreth.

“You have talked about some of the issues with children. Of course, there is the horrific abduction of children from Ukraine, and I hear what you say about supporting funding for some of the organisations. I understand that the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which undertakes some of the work to track down such children…”

“Foreign Secretary, I want to ask you a bit about the recent strikes between Israel and Iran, and of course the US involvement. I think it is probably fair to say that you have acknowledged the importance of Iran’s nuclear programme being diminished, but have perhaps been a little bit less committal about whether you su…”

“I appreciate what you have said about Ukraine being a priority, which the Prime Minister has set out and you have supported. Obviously, we have gone back and forth in written questions, and I am asking you now. There always seems to be another date in the future at which the answer will come. Really, I am just asking f…”

“Foreign Secretary, in May I submitted a number of written questions to your Department on the ODA budget and the potential impact of reductions to UK-supported schemes in Ukraine, specifically those that address sexual violence, healthcare, education and reconstruction. The Department’s replies offered only broad commi…”

“Will we have a clear and comprehensive strategy on Iran?”

“I can hear the strength of your views on that. As you know, Iran is a destabilising force for the region, but increasingly it poses a direct threat to the UK’s interests, including those here at home. Reports suggest that the upcoming Intelligence and Security Committee report will confirm that Iran continues to target…”

“As I understand it, there are reports that Iran has now halted co-operation with the IAEA, effectively blocking international oversight of Iran’s nuclear programme, which you have rightly been saying is an important part of finding a long-term solution for this. What actions is the UK taking, given that decision? Speci…”

“You set out the six priorities that you are using as a basis for what you would want to use ODA spending for. How does the FCDO evaluate and demonstrate value for money against those criteria?”

“Can I ask two quick questions?”

“I am just trying to get an idea of the proportion that you are expecting. We obviously have significantly less, and there are some very important projects to spend it on. Have you thought not just about the costs coming down, which is excellent, but about the proportion?”

“As we have been discussing, ODA spending has been the subject of significant cuts. Approximately 20% of UK aid in 2024 was spent by the Home Office on asylum seekers here in the UK. Have you made any assessment of what proportion of the remaining, significantly smaller ODA budget will be spent in the UK, rather than ov…”

“We visited Ukraine earlier this year. Following that, I met with one of the legal advisers and senior lead teams within Ukraine’s conflict-related sexual violence mobile justice team. She expressed serious concerns about the scale of conflict-related sexual violence and the limited capacity of the Ukrainian system to r…”

“With the leave the House, may I take this opportunity to thank the Minister for the majority of her remarks? Of course, we disagree about the Conservative record on animal welfare, but I thank her for her personal support and that of the Government for the Bill. I would like to thank to a number of people who have cont…”

“I thank the hon. Member for introducing this important Bill, which I support. He talks about the impact of diseases that puppies might have when they are brought in. Does he agree that there are also diseases that have potential impacts on human health, often for the veterinary surgeons or nurses who are looking after …”

“I thank the hon. Member for his insights as a vet, and for emphasising what so many people across the House know: these changes are vital. May I also say how grateful I am to the hon. Members who took the time to serve on the Bill Committee? I am truly grateful for their support and contributions, and for the conversat…”

“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. It is a pleasure to reach this milestone in the Bill’s journey through the House of Commons. As we know, livestock worrying has devastating consequences for both animals and farmers. In Committee, I and other Committee members shared the experiences that had reso…”

“Mr Griffiths, some of the written evidence the Committee received pointed to a disconnect between the UK’s leadership on WPS and some of our country-level implementation. When we have enormous global conflict, women are always disproportionally affected. Do you have any thoughts about how the UK is ensuring that, in co…”

“I have some questions about the UK’s role in respect of women, peace and security. Mr Gowan, some of the evidence the Committee has received raised the concern that the UK, as penholder on women, peace and security, has not spoken out against recent moves by the US to frame women’s reproductive rights as being in oppos…”

“This has been a very interesting extension to the discussion, but I want to ask a couple more things about the WPS file.”

“It was a worthwhile discussion to have. Mr Gowan, you have previously written that countries like Norway are increasing investment in gender-related programmes, but others “have quietly paid less attention to the theme.” Given that the UK is reducing our ODA spending, what does that mean for the credibility of the UK’s…”