Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to support UK participation in any international observation mission for the Colombian presidential elections in 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to building a Network of Liberty that will put us at the heart of economic, diplomatic and security partnerships. Promoting democratic values is a key part of this, and election observation allows us to support democracies and strengthen democratic electoral processes around the globe.
We are considering our approach for the Colombian Presidential elections, and will continue to support ongoing work by existing international election observation organisations, such as the Mission for Electoral Observation (MOE) in Colombia. We are clear that independent election monitoring is vital for credible and inclusive elections.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to support the safeguarding of historical British military artefacts, including the only surviving cannon of the Commonwealth of England, currently in Oman.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK and Oman enjoy a deep and historical relationship. We are committed to working together on areas of shared interest and common causes, including to protect and safeguard our shared heritage. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will engage with their Omani counterparts about the British military artefacts.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has plans to arrange a repatriation flight from Venezuela for UK residents that have been unable to secure a commercial flight to the UK via Mexico.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Helping British travellers who need and want to return to the UK is one of the Government's highest priorities. Since the outbreak in Wuhan, we estimate that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes - the majority supported by our work to keep vital routes open. Additionally we have brought home over 32,000 people on 155 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 29 countries and territories.
The remaining British travellers in Venezuela have access to intermittent commercial flights via Mexico. In addition, our Embassy in Caracas has supported the return of British travellers requiring assistance through additional charter flights via Europe and Mexico operated by our international partners. Our travel advice and social media pages are also regularly updated to ensure that those wishing to return are aware of further developments: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/venezuela.