Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55524 on Gaza: Genocide, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on Government decision making.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our policy remains as set out in the answer to which the Right Hon Gentleman refers.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with US president Donald Trump on the proscription of Palestine Action.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 16 July 2025, Official Report, PQ 66037.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban financial donations by UK citizens to the war efforts of other countries.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Charity Commission has made clear, providing aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force is not a charitable purpose, and no charity can legally undertake such activity.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will maintain funding for the Choices Reproductive Health Supplies programme through a multi-year commitment of £400million from 2025-2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the decision to reduce the UK aid budget to 0.3 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by 2027, implications for individual programmes are still being worked through. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Official Development Assistance allocations will be considered over the coming months and will be published in the summer.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reductions to the Official Development Assistance budget on women and girls.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions on ODA allocations.
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that official development assistance will be used to support the most vulnerable people from the 2027-28 financial year.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on a renewed approach.
We will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Sudan, in Ukraine and in Gaza, tackling climate change, supporting multinational efforts on global health and challenges like vaccination.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will (a) uphold funding commitments for (i) the Women’s Integrated Health Services programme and (ii) other sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes and (b) ensure that funding reaches grassroots (A) women, (B) girls and (C) youth-led organisations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent or gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Decisions on individual programmes and thematic areas will be based on various factors including equality impact assessments.
Considerations will also take into account the vital role played by grassroots and women, girl and youth-led organisations to protect and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will increase development funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation process, following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Decisions on individual programmes and thematic areas will be based on various factors including equality impact assessments.
The UK is committed to promoting and defending universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) including safe abortion. The evidence shows that supporting comprehensive SRHR through proven evidence-based public health interventions saves lives and supports prosperity. The UK's commitment to defending and promoting SRHR has never just been about aid. We will use multiple levers: working to influence policy, through health and development diplomacy, as well as using our ODA budget, to advance SRHR for all.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14622 on Alaa Abd El-Fattah, whether the Prime Minister made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah at the G20 summit in November 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Prime Minister did not raise the case with President Sisi at the G20 summit. The Prime Minister last raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August 2024. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 25 November.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister in response to the the hon. Member for Liverpool Riverside during the Oral Statement of 15 April 2024 on Iran-Israel Update, Official Report, column 54, for what reason the United Kingdom abstained on the vote on admitting a Palestinian state as a full member of the United Nations on 18 April 2024.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
As the Prime Minister made clear, the UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.
We agree that the people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
We believe that recognition of Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it does not have to be at the very end of the process.
We must start with fixing the immediate crisis in Gaza.Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and must be part of a future Palestinian state. However, Hamas is still in control of parts of Gaza and Israeli hostages remain in captivity - this shows that we are still at the start of the process.
Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to lasting peace; as is working together to support the new Palestinian government as it takes much-needed steps on reform and resumes governance in Gaza as well as the West Bank.
We abstained on the vote at the UN Security Council because we must keep our focus on securing an immediate pause in order to get aid in and hostages out; then making progress towards a sustainable ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.