India: Minorities

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

My Lords, this should not be separate, because the noble Baroness, while in opposition, was in the same Division Lobby as me on a Labour Motion that said that every trade agreement going forward should have human rights chapters as part of it. The noble Baroness, Lady Gustafsson, said at the Dispatch Box that the India agreement will not have human rights chapters. If we are to have discussions with our Indian friends about human rights, labour laws and the standards of supply chains, where will we see human rights reflected in our trading arrangements if not in a free trade agreement?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I think that—how shall I put this?—the nature of our relationship with the Government of India changes in accordance with the nature of our position in relation to these conversations. It is a judgment: are these things best progressed in the way that we would all like if we take a hard line as part of a trade agreement, or are they best progressed in other ways? It is all about getting the right outcome for our relationship and for human rights. It is a constant judgment. At the moment, we are dealing with the trade negotiation in a separate track to our conversations about human rights. It is slightly different when it comes to labour rights and the treatment of workers and other such issues. However, it is fair for the noble Lord to raise this, and it was fair for us to use, when in opposition, methods to raise our concerns that we may not feel we want to use in government.