Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the Falkland Islands on the potential impact of trade tariffs on its economy.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are proud of the bond that the United Kingdom shares with the Falkland Islands as part of one Great British family, and we deeply value the relationship between our governments.
I was pleased to speak with the new Assembly within a week of their election, and my officials have been engaging with the new representatives on their priorities, one of which is obviously trade.
It is a matter of fact that the Brexit deal reached by the party opposite excluded the Overseas Territories, and we recognise the challenges EU trade tariffs pose for the Falkland Islands economy. But we are working with the Department for Business and Trade to promote Falklands trade in the UK and other markets.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has raised the detention of Bita Shafiei on 13 November 2025 with her Iranian counterparts.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of Bita Shafiei's case and continue to raise the rights of women and girls and human rights defenders with the Iranian Government in multilateral fora. The UK co-sponsored an Iran Human Rights Resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee on 19 November, which condemned the targeted repression of women and girls and called on Iran to release women human rights defenders imprisoned for exercising their rights. We delivered a statement at the Committee, which highlighted Iran's bolstering of surveillance capabilities to monitor and target women and girls, and we will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran to account.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of British nationals located on the India-Pakistan border.
Answered by Catherine West
The safety of British nationals will always be our priority. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to monitor developments closely and is ready to support British nationals 24/7. Any British nationals in the region should follow the FCDO's travel advice for the country they are in, along with the advice of the local authorities. That travel advice is currently against travel to areas close to the Line of Control and international border.