Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to urge fair and transparent legal processes for political prisoners in Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While judicial matters are for Pakistan's courts, the UK has consistently emphasised to its counterparts in Pakistan the need for due process, fair trials, and humane treatment for all prisoners. I covered these matters during a wide-ranging discussion with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister when we met in August 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of RSF violence against civilians in El Fasher and across Darfur; and whether it remains her policy to uphold UK commitments to (a) protect populations from atrocity crimes, (b) prevent mass atrocities and (c) uphold obligations to (i) prevent and (ii) punish genocide.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) officials leading the UK's geographic and atrocity prevention thematic response and (b) diplomatic counterparts on options for protecting civilians in (i) El Fasher, (ii) Tawila, and (iii) across Darfur.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has instructed Official Development Assistance programme teams to pause new (a) business cases, (b) contracts, and (c) funding for programmes supporting women, peace, and security; whether any reductions or cancellations have been made to existing programmes in these areas; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such actions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The transition to spending 0.3 per cent of gross national income on Official Development Assistance (ODA) demands significant shifts in the scale and shape of our ODA spending. To enable us to deliver this change effectively, we are prioritising meeting legally binding commitments and delivering work already underway, and planned humanitarian spend. Further detail is set out in Baroness Chapman's 27 March letter to the International Development Committee [https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/47275/documents/245059/default/].
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on the Development Review; and how he plans to use that review to inform the planned reduction in UK aid spending.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Development Review considered how to maximise the UK's combined diplomatic and development expertise in its international development work. Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. The recommendations of the Development Review, alongside the Global Impact and Economic Diplomacy reviews, are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and will also inform decisions on the ODA budget.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support a UN Convention on the rights of Older Persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to equality and opportunity for all, with a particular focus on those most likely to be marginalised and discriminated against, including on the grounds of their age. We are open in principle to the idea of a multilateral instrument dedicated to the human rights of older people and will continue to play a constructive role in discussions on this issue at the UN and other relevant fora.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his policy to oppose efforts to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.
We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will condemn President Trump’s statement on moving Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.
We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is to publish the Government's new human rights strategy.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, set out their five priorities for promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and democratic governance: 1) defending civic space; 2) upholding the rule of law; 3) championing equal rights for all; 4) supporting accountable, effective, inclusive institutions; and 5) responding to global challenges, including climate, conflict and technology by prioritising human rights and governance principles. Lord Collins's speech was published on gov.uk on 11 December [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/human-rights-day-2024-lord-collins-speech]. This government is now focused on operationalising this strategic approach.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on (a) compliance with international humanitarian law and (b) Palestinians’ rights to self-determination.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary look forward to working with President Trump, to continue our shared mission to ensure the prosperity and security of our two great nations. We will continue to work with the new US administration to ensure regional security and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The UK will continue working with partners to support a path to long term peace and stability with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.