Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Labour/Co-operative MP for Cardiff South and Penarth
@sdoughtymp.bsky.social @SDoughtyMP Facebook UK Parliament Profile
I will start by thanking the right hon. Lady, who has rightly scrutinised many different aspects of this matter over many months. I have come dutifully to answer many questions, I have met with her privately, and the subject has been scrutinised by many Committees. It was right to update the House today on these developments, and I am glad that she acknowledges that point. Of course, it is...
My hon. Friend sets out the fundamental issue: the risks to the operation of the base, which the Opposition knew all along. That is why they started the process, to which we have responded with this treaty, which protects our security and that of our allies. I will not speculate about the coming of those risks, but we know that we need to put things on a secure footing. We know that the...
I thank the hon. Member for his comments and for his continued engagement in good faith throughout the process. I can absolutely assure him that in due course we will return to the issues that he and his colleagues discussed with us and the concerns that they expressed in amendments in this place and the other House, but I have to reject his assumption that the process has somehow met its...
The right hon. Gentleman is clearly familiar with the history, so he will know the judgments in the courts of England and Wales on the matter of the right of abode. I am not going to comment on ongoing legal proceedings, save to say that we were disappointed by the position that was taken. Our understanding is that the BIOT is appealing that judgment and we have taken an interest in that matter.
I will happily write to the hon. Gentleman on that matter, but what I am absolutely clear about is that it was his Government who started the process of negotiations, under the former Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for Braintree (Sir James Cleverly), who conceded the principle of sovereignty and conceded a financial element, and did not put in place some of the key security...
The hon. Gentleman will understand that I am not going to comment on operational details from the Dispatch Box, but the Prime Minister has been absolutely clear about which requests from the United States have been acceded to and which ones have not. He answered an extensive statement on that this afternoon, and I hope that that suffices.
The hon. Lady asks an important question and, to be fair, the shadow Foreign Secretary asked it too. I can absolutely confirm that the costs associated with the treaty cannot be paid without the relevant legislation being passed, so she is absolutely right on that point. What I will say is that there has been wilful misinformation from a number of quarters on the costs associated with the...
The hon. Gentleman raises many, many issues. The situation is clear for all to see. I have set out why the legislation is not able to make the progress we had hoped it would make in this parliamentary Session, but the merits of the deal and the need to secure the base for us and our allies stay unchanged. As I said, we are not going to scrimp on national security. When it comes to these...
These are operational matters for the British Indian Overseas Territory (BIOT) Authority, discharged under the powers provided in the BIOT (Immigration) Order 2004.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December 2025 in response to Question 97660.
We welcome the EU's announcement confirming agreement on the Gibraltar Treaty by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which is an important milestone for the people and businesses of Gibraltar on the journey to full ratification. As soon as possible after the EU has concluded its other internal processes, the final version of the Treaty will be laid in Parliament for...
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 February in response to Question 110763.
The Special Envoy submitted a Declaration of Interests Form as per the long-standing procedures for an appointment of that kind. In line with the same procedures, such forms are not routinely published.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not comment on whether specific intelligence assessments have been undertaken.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 7 January in response to Question 102330, which sets out the action that the Government is taking to support our Overseas Territories in tackling organised immigration crime.
We continue to work closely with the Council of Europe on a number of Ukraine-related initiatives, including the proposed establishment of the Claims Commission for Ukraine and the Special Tribunal on Crimes of Aggression Against Ukraine. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has consistently raised Russia's aggression and its consequences within the Council of Europe,...
