Speeches by Whittingdale.

“Indeed. I want to take you back to what we said right at the start about AI. I have recently seen evidence of how Russia is successfully poisoning or grooming—whatever word you would like to use—large language models so that they become a vehicle for disseminating Russian disinformation. Is that something you are conce…”

“Foreign Secretary, Russia has been described as the most serious threat that this country faces. We know there has been a steady stream of attacks in the form of sabotage, assassination squads, attacks on the Prime Minister’s house, cyber-security issues and through every other lever, including disinformation. At the s…”

“Finally, 18 months ago I raised with the then permanent secretary the issue of the children of UK diplomats posted overseas being unable to access the student loan system. Sir Olly Robbins said that, although only a small number were affected, he recognised that it was causing huge distress and, in his words, must be “…”

“On the actions that the UK could be taking, the high-level panel made a number of recommendations, such as giving greater consular support, giving emergency visas to journalists who are under pressure and imposing sanctions on people who repress journalism. None of those things have happened. As I say, we are seeing me…”

“Foreign Secretary, your predecessor came before this Committee and told us about the establishment of the Soft Power Council, something which we welcomed because we have always felt that soft power is as important as hard power. However, it seems to have run into the ground. You may have seen the article in the FT wher…”

“Part of the reason for the disappointment is the fact that you have not actually been to a meeting of the Soft Power Council. Are you intending to go to one?”

“Another area where Britain took a lead, which was welcomed by this Committee, was the taking back of the chair of the Media Freedom Coalition. However, since that happened, all we have seen is a withdrawal of support for independent media organisations as a result of the cuts in the Foreign Office budget. What are we a…”

“If you or your officials could write, that would be very helpful. Her name is Mzia Amaglobeli.”

“Just to flag one particular case, Jimmy Lai has had a lot of attention, and we have rightly put a lot of pressure. But are you aware of the case of the Georgian journalist who is, I believe, at risk of losing her sight? She has been sentenced to prison in Georgia. She has been named the No. 1 campaigning journalist for…”

“It is great to hear you both say that it is deeply unfair, but is it actually going to be changed?”

“You referenced the work that the Committee has done on disinformation, and you identified disinformation in your Chatham House piece as being one of the significant threats. The Committee visited the French centre that counters disinformation, VIGINUM, and we have also talked to other countries, all of which have their…”

“Yesterday, you announced another package of sanctions, including ones specifically aimed at those responsible for cyber-attacks and disinformation. Other countries—you mentioned Poland and, particularly, the Baltic states—are raising awareness among their citizens of the fact that they are facing an actual threat. Do y…”

“13. What estimate her Department has made of the number of police officers in September (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.”

“The Minister has confirmed that under this Government the number of police officers has fallen. It is now proposed that in Essex they will become part of a regional force that will be more remote and less accountable to the people that they serve. How does that increase public confidence in policing?”

“I will start with a broader question, perhaps to both the FCDO and the British Council. Do you see the British Council as essentially a vehicle for British soft power to extend British influence in contested areas of the world, which is supported by the Foreign Office and also by commercial income raised through its te…”

“But essentially there are two competing objectives. You say that the combination strengthens the British Council, but does it not create a tension? The parts of the world or the countries where you are most likely to generate significant returns are probably not those in which it is most important that we exert influen…”

“Could you draw up two different columns? In one, you would have countries such as France and Italy: well-developed, active democracies where the British Council is active and, I hope, generating lots of money, but where it is probably not a huge priority to have British influence. Against that, you would have countries…”

“Right, and otherwise the loan is not going to be repaid for some time but the interest is going to go on clocking up.”

“When you and I have spoken previously, with me wearing my other hat in the FAC, there was talk about the trapped cash being utilised for other Foreign Office expenditure in country. Is that still a possibility?”

“Was that through the sale of the—”