British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

I genuinely have to say, as somebody who has respect for and likes the right hon. Lady, that I am disappointed by the tone of those remarks. I do not know who writes this stuff; I do not know whether it is just performative politics, or rhetoric—I don’t know what.

I should point out that I have received and answered over 100 written parliamentary questions from the right hon. Lady. I have answered over 250 questions in total on the deal and the process. We have had no fewer than six urgent questions in this House. We have had two statements from the Government, from the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary. I personally briefed the right hon. Lady and answered many of her questions in my office just a couple of weeks ago, in good faith and in detail. I have been subjected, quite rightly, to robust scrutiny on these issues not only by the Foreign Affairs Committee, but by the International Relations and Defence Committee and the International Agreements Committee in the other House, in great detail.

I do not know whether the right hon. Lady and her team are simply not reading the transcripts or the answers to the questions, but I have repeatedly answered them. She might not like the answers, Mr Speaker, but I have answered these questions. I have set out the position on costs. I have set out the position on the security arrangements. I have set out the position on the vetoes that we have. The fact is that this deal secures this base, and it secures our national security and that of our allies. It is absolutely right that it has had proper scrutiny, and there will be a vote, because there will be a vote on the legislation that we will put before the House in due course.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

On a recent visit to Washington with the Foreign Affairs Committee, I was struck by the support expressed by the US Government for the deal to secure the long-term future of the military base on Diego Garcia. Alongside the US, our Five Eyes allies support the deal, NATO supports the deal, and India supports the deal. Does the Minister agree that the Opposition would do well to listen to our closest neighbours and allies instead of trying to play party politics with our national security?

[Stephen Doughty]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. National security is the top priority of this Government, and working with our crucial allies, including the United States, is key to that. He is absolutely right to point out the support that was gained for this deal through a full and detailed inter-agency process in the United States, at the highest levels of the Administration, as well as the support from our Five Eyes partners and from India. The fact is that this deal secures the base and secures our capabilities, and it would not have been signed off if it did not do that.

Gibraltar

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Thursday 12th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lammy]

The hon. Lady is right that the people of Gibraltar have been in limbo since the Brexit decision, which is why it was important that, in coming into office and inheriting this from the last Government, we put every effort into it. Let me again pay tribute to the Minister for Europe who rolled up his sleeves and was a sherpa at a lot of those meetings, particularly over the last year.

The hon. Lady asked about business. I assure her that I was with representatives from the business sector in Gibraltar yesterday morning discussing what a deal would mean for them if it were reached later in the afternoon. There was one word that they kept coming back to: certainty. They wanted certainty, and they wanted the opportunity of a more frictionless border arrangement with Spain and the opportunity to sell into the Spanish market unhindered. That is what they said and that is what we particularly took on board.

The hon. Lady rightly asked about any ability to thwart the deal that might exist in parts of the Spanish parliamentary system. May I remind her that the deal, appropriately, is between the United Kingdom and the European Union, that we have always been a country that meets our treaty obligations seriously and that whatever one’s views about the European Union, it is also an organisation that meets its obligations seriously? When we sign up to a treaty, that is what we are doing. As with the trade and co-operation agreement, there is a review mechanism that would allow the appropriate review; indeed, the UK-EU summit that we had a few weeks ago was an appropriate review. However, we met our obligations under the TCA in opposition, standing up for the agreement that had been struck by the last Government, and we would expect the same in this instance.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

May I congratulate the Foreign Secretary and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo on getting this landmark agreement over the line? The agreement further cements Gibraltar’s place as an integral part of the British family. Will the Foreign Secretary confirm to the House what further measures he is taking to strengthen relationships with the overseas territories?

[Mr Lammy]

I am glad that my hon. Friend mentioned the overseas territories more generally. We had a good meeting of the heads of the overseas territories at the end of last year, at which I and the Prime Minister were in attendance. We have undertaken to conduct a review of our relationships to strengthen those further, and the Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories is taking that forward as we speak.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Visit

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Tuesday 29th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Falconer]

A central element of our discussions with the Palestinian Prime Minister is that reform agenda. The Palestinian Prime Minister is relatively new in his position and, as I said to the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel), he has made some important commitments and important practical changes, and we must support the Palestinian Authority to reform in order to best serve the Palestinian people.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

May I put on record my thanks to the Minister for his statement today and commend him and the Foreign Secretary for securing this landmark memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian Government? Following my meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Mustafa, can the Minister tell this House how the MOU and the £101 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories will allow the Palestinian Authority to reform and provide crucial public services to the Palestinian people?

[Mr Falconer]

It was a sign of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to some of these practical questions of service delivery that their Health Minister travelled with the Prime Minister for discussions. The MOU provides a framework through which we can have that reform discussion, including strategic dialogues on a whole range of questions such as the important education questions that the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel) raised earlier.

Kashmir: Increasing Tension

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Tuesday 29th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Falconer]

I think I have set out our views on the importance of stability in the region already this afternoon. I agree with the hon. Member that it is critical for all actors and international partners to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Indus river system.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

I welcome the statement from the Minister today. In light of the awful terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, what work are the Government undertaking to consult the Kashmiri diaspora here in the UK and identify their concerns?

[Mr Falconer]

Both the Foreign Office and other UK Government Departments engage regularly with the British Kashmiri community—who are an important part of so many communities across the United Kingdom—and will continue to do so.

Ukraine War: London Talks

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Thursday 24th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

I thank the right hon. Lady for her questions and for her continued support and unity on these issues. It is crucial that we send a signal not only to our friends in Ukraine but to Putin—that this House will not be divided on these issues. We are united in our support for Ukraine, and I can reassure her of our absolute commitment to Ukraine. Indeed, there has been extensive ministerial contact over recent weeks. I met Minister Sybiha in Turkey a week or so ago, and the Foreign Secretary was with him yesterday. Contact remains at every level.

The right hon. Lady asked a number of specific questions. I am afraid that I cannot go into the detail of yesterday’s discussions, for reasons that she will understand. I know she has a job to do in holding us to account on that, but it is really important that we allow those technical talks to go on at that level between the principals, and she will understand why that is necessary.

I agree completely with the right hon. Lady’s point about the sanctions against Members of this House, which I utterly condemn. This is par for the course when it comes to Putin and his regime. She asked what we are doing on sanctions. Our commitment to sanctions remains undiminished. We will maintain the pressure at every level. In fact, we are ramping up the pressure, and today we have announced new sanctions, including on the shocking repurposing of games console controllers to kill Ukrainians by Russia. We are taking robust action at every step we can, not only directly, to choke off the Russian war machine, but in relation to second and third-country circumvention of those sanctions. She can be assured that I have spent a lot of time on this issue in recent weeks.

The right hon. Lady asks about the situation with Chelsea FC, and I refer her to my previous comments on that. We are working at pace to meet the agreements that were made on that. She points out the importance of the extraordinary revenue accelerator loan. The first tranche of that has been disbursed. In fact, I discussed this with the deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine just a few weeks ago, to ensure that they had access to those resources. They do have access, and I am happy to write to her separately about the details of the further tranches that will be paid.

There is absolutely no softening of our commitment to the coalition of the willing. Indeed, the Foreign Secretary met French, US, German and Ukrainian counterparts last week, underlining our shared commitments, and we are leading a coalition of willing nations to defend Ukraine’s security. We will not get into the operational details, for obvious reasons, as the Defence Secretary made clear earlier this week.

The right hon. Lady asks about Crimea. The UK’s position regarding Ukrainian sovereignty is well known and has not changed: we do not recognise Russian sovereignty over any territory illegally seized from Ukraine, including Crimea. When, how and on what terms this war comes to an end can be decided only by negotiations with Ukraine at the heart of them.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

As one of the individuals who was sanctioned yesterday by the Kremlin, I ask the Minister whether he agrees that if Putin is serious about securing any sort of lasting peace in Ukraine, he should stop the performative sanctioning of democratically elected Members of this House and focus on stopping the murderous, barbaric killing of civilians in Ukraine and the invasion of that nation, which we stand with in full support.

[Stephen Doughty]

Again, I utterly condemn the sanctioning of Members of this House, including my hon. Friend. I am on that list too, as are many other Members, and it is completely unacceptable; we are clear on that. My hon. Friend rightly points out examples of Russia’s actions in recent days—the horrific attacks, the deaths, the killing, the continued aggression—and of course Russia is the aggressor in this conflict.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

As I said yesterday, a financial element over 99 years was crucial to protect the operation of such a vital base—we will not scrimp on our security. Once the treaty is signed, it will be put before the House for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way, and that will include the costs. The right hon. Gentleman asks where the budgets are coming from. The terms of the treaty and the associated funding arrangements are still being finalised. Financial obligations, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will, of course, be managed responsibly within the Government’s fiscal framework.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree that it is vital the UK Government fulfil their obligations under international law? Does he recognise that the January 2021 binding judgment of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea—[Interruption]—which was handed down under the Conservative Government, found that the UK’s current administration of the archipelago

“constitutes a wrongful act…and…must be brought to an end as rapidly as possible”?

[Stephen Doughty]

There does appear to be some confusion about the different legal judgments among the Opposition, as I can hear from the chuntering. There are a number of ways in which the operation of the base was not sustainable. We are very clear that without a deal—as the previous Government recognised—we would face serious, real-world operational impacts on the base that would erode our ability to operate key frequencies vital for our own communications and to counter hostile states, affecting everything from overflight clearances to securing contractors, with consequential rocketing costs, declining investment and a degraded facility. We were not willing to take that risk, and have therefore secured this base for our security and that of our allies.

G7

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Monday 17th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement and thank him for the leadership that he has shown over the past few weeks, in particular on Ukraine. He mentioned his discussions with his Canadian counterpart; following the G7 meeting that he attended, can he share what further progress he has made in building the much needed coalition of the willing in order to guarantee Ukraine’s security?

[Mr Lammy]

A number of nations are stepping up and coming forward alongside the United Kingdom and France, and Canada is one of them. I do not want to give a running commentary because there are further meetings this week. My hon. Friend will understand that, when talking about committing troops, different countries have different requirements for going to their own Parliaments and speaking to their own nations about these matters. It is right that I leave them to do that and do not make announcements from the Dispatch Box.

Overseas Territories: Tax Transparency

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Wednesday 5th February 2025 Westminster Hall

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater (Joe Powell) on securing this crucial debate on tax transparency in the overseas territories, which goes to the heart of three issues that I will cover.

First, there is the matter of tax justice. Reporting from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism only last week found that sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich dodged up to £1 billion of UK tax by structuring the ownership of his fleet of yachts and his hedge fund through the British overseas territories. I will bring this to life with the example of Mr Abramovich’s mega-yacht Eclipse.

According to corporate records, Eclipse was owned directly by Kane Global Holdings Ltd, which was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Kane was, in turn, owned by Lindeza Worldwide Ltd, incorporated in the BVI. Lindeza was owned by Electus Investments Ltd, held on trust in Cyprus and the BVI. Above Electus sat the Sara Trust, registered in Cyprus. Finally, there was the ultimate beneficial owner: Mr Roman Abramovich.

Let us be clear. This is a complex web of deceit intended to prevent taxes from being paid where they are due. It is conducted on an industrial scale and involves an army of immoral corporate service providers, lawyers and accountants who are only too happy to facilitate such demands. But this is not just about Mr Abramovich. Indeed, journalists in the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project have reported on dozens of cases involving suspicious transactions linked to high-profile businesspeople from Bulgaria, Georgia and further afield, all systematically channelling money and assets into these jurisdictions to escape their tax liabilities in the UK and elsewhere.

It is simply unacceptable—indeed, it is morally indefensible—that we find ourselves in a situation in which a number of British overseas territories continue to incorporate entities hiding behind the corporate veil of secrecy. All the while, our constituents pay their taxes in good order.

Secondly, there is a corrosive impact on the social contract between British citizens and the state. If it matters so much to the UK Government that UK taxpayers front up to fund our public services, why does it not matter that the mega-rich are exploiting the overseas territories? How can we look our constituents in the eye and say in good faith, “We are pursuing every avenue to pump much-needed resources into our NHS, our police service and our schools,” when the mega-rich and multinational corporations can escape their taxes by squirrelling their money away in British territories offshore?

Thirdly, at a time when the Government are focused on driving economic growth and unleashing the full potential of the private sector, we find ourselves in the bizarre situation that continued secrecy in the overseas territories places an immense regulatory burden on UK firms. As a former financial crime compliance officer in two UK banks, I know only too well the huge investment put into armies of due diligence professionals, who, unable to ascertain the ultimate beneficial ownership of entities incorporated in the overseas territories, spend an inordinate amount of time chasing their tails. That has a simple economic cost for UK businesses and consumers, and the British economy. That burden stands firmly at odds with the Government’s drive to deregulate and to drive up competitiveness.

We have a moral obligation, a societal imperative and an economic impetus to act. That is why we must have publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership in the British overseas territories. That certain overseas territories continue to hide, obfuscate and deny, and prevent long-overdue reform, is a stain on our collective conscience.

The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), confirmed in response to a written question of mine:

“We consider publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership (PARBOs) a vital tool for combatting financial secrecy.”

He went on to say:

“I have been clear to OT leaders that full PARBOs are our ultimate expectation.”

The Minister for Security confirmed in response to another written question I submitted that the UK Government

“expects implementing legitimate interest access is an interim step to publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers”.

I sincerely hope that the Exchequer Secretary can provide similar assurances today that His Majesty’s Government are committed to working across Government to drive transparency in tax matters, and that it remains the case that they expect publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers to be implemented in the overseas territories.

Time is of the essence. We cannot allow secrecy to be used as a barrier to tax justice. That much I owe to my Bolton West constituents and we, as parliamentarians, owe to this country at large.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

UK-Ukraine 100-year Partnership

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Monday 20th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lammy]

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. As he knows, friendships can exist across the House, and I have greatly valued his over the years. I put on record my thanks for the work he did; I know this partnership was first mentioned in a meeting he had with the former Member for Welwyn Hatfield and I am pleased to be able to take that work forward. The idea he mentions is a good one. He will be pleased that one of the things that flowed from the Prime Minister’s trip to Ukraine is the possibility of such a delegation to Ukraine, perhaps led by a Business Minister, at some point in the future, when it feels safe to make such a visit. That will mean we can assess the opportunities, which go well beyond Kyiv. A huge industrial base existed in Ukraine before the war. There are huge opportunities because it is “the bread basket of Europe” and because of the innovation present in the country, which a lot of people do not realise, that has led to one of the biggest drone industries on the planet.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement and his announcement that the UK will continue to do all it can to keep Ukraine in the fight in the face of Putin’s unlawful war of aggression. He mentioned sanctions. Will he update the House about what discussions he has had with international counterparts on seizing and repurposing Russian state sanctions, to the tune of the £300 billion held in G7 countries, to finance Ukraine to keep it in the fight?

[Mr Lammy]

That was a very good question. I reassure my hon. Friend that the subject remains under active discussion with our colleagues, particularly in Europe. We have made progress in relation to interest. We recognise that more funds need to be found to keep Ukraine in the fight. There are differences of opinion about the lawfulness and legality of doing this, and the implication for the markets particularly at this time. Those discussions are live and active, and I was with the Weimar group of not just Foreign Ministers, because Prime Minister Meloni and Chancellor Scholz were there as well, discussing these very issues just before the Christmas break.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Wednesday 18th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

The right hon. Gentleman knows that I have immense respect for him and his work in this House. I take issue with his choice of words. We have incredible officials in this Government who have loyally served Governments from parties on both sides of this House. They work incredibly hard to defend the national security and interests of this country. If anything, this was not rushed at all: there were 11 rounds of negotiations under the Government of the right hon. Gentleman’s party. We got in and we got a deal done that protects our national security and our interests.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

What assurances can the Minister provide Parliament about the scrutiny that the agreements, which will be struck in due course, will receive?