Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, what plans her department has to develop new trade agreements with African nations the UK does not have agreements with.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out our commitment to unlock investment and trade with our African partners. We will provide further updates in due course on specific priorities and initiatives arising from that commitment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, which areas her department will prioritise when expanding trade opportunities.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out our commitment to unlock investment and trade with our African partners. We will provide further updates in due course on specific priorities and initiatives arising from that commitment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, what approach her department took to determine suitable organisations to consult with.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the summary of consultation responses published on 2 June 2025, which can be found on GOV.UK at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-new-approach-to-africa-summary-of-consultation/the-uks-new-approach-to-africa-summary-of-consultation-june-2025
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which a) governments, b) multilateral organisations, c) private sector companies and d) other key stakeholders, will be invited to participate in the Illicit Finance Summit.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Illicit Finance Summit will take place in London on 23-24 June 2026 and will convene a diverse group of governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. Further updates, including details of the invitees, will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, what measurable objectives the Government has set for its modernised approach to relations with African countries, and over what timeframe progress will be assessed.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) sets out the seven areas of shared interest which we will prioritise alongside our African partners over the coming year, and we will set out the progress made in each area in due course, including on measurable objectives such as the scaling up of private capital for African development priorities, and the Mission 300 goals on access to electricity.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, what further reforms of the debt architecture her department is considering, and whether debt cancellation will be considered.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 14 July 2025 to Question HL9091.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, what discussions her department has had with African leaders about the suitability of renewable energy projects for their nation, and whether this will inform the UK's investment in renewable energy projects.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out our commitment to advance shared interests on climate, nature, and clean energy with our African partners. We will provide further updates in due course on specific priorities and initiatives arising from that commitment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach launch on 15 December 2025, how much UK climate finance is planned for Africa over the next spending review period, and how this will be split between mitigation, adaptation and nature.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out our commitment to advance shared interests on climate, nature, and clean energy with our African partners. We will provide further updates in due course on specific priorities and initiatives arising from that commitment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's Africa Approach announcement, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of investing in renewable energy projects as part of Mission 300.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out our commitment to advance shared interests on climate, nature, and clean energy with our African partners. We will provide further updates in due course on specific priorities and initiatives arising from that commitment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of historical UK-linked deforestation and extractive industries on biodiversity loss in the Global South; and whether her Department supports global ecological restoration initiatives.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Global deforestation rates peaked in the 1980s at around 15 million hectares per year, driven by a range of factors, including global demand for agricultural commodities, timber and wood products. Deforestation rates have since declined to around 10 million hectares a year but much more needs to be done to protect forests, which are a vital refuge for biodiversity, support the livelihoods of over one billion people worldwide and are crucial to limiting the damaging effects of climate change.
The UK is supporting efforts to restore critical global ecosystems and is on track to deliver £3 billion in International Climate Finance for nature and biodiversity by March 2026. This includes funding to international initiatives such as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, which aims to restore 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems globally by 2030.