Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 13 July 2026.
John Glen
Conservative, Salisbury
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Laotian counterpart on the protection of Christian converts and other religious minority communities in that country.
Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities), Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting and defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK has discussed freedom of religion or belief with the Lao authorities through bilateral dialogue, including at the UK-Laos Political Dialogue which took place in London in September 2025. We also work through the UN to promote and protect these rights, including raising country specific issues at the UN Human Rights Council. Laos' UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held in 2025, during which the UK raised concerns over restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and religion.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
