Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Brazilian counterpart on the attack on the Brazilian Congress in January 2023.

The UK was quick to condemn the attacks on Brazil's Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court on 8 January. I [Minister Rutley] joined the Prime Minister and our Ambassador to Brazil in confirming the UK's full support for President Lula and the Government of Brazil and reiterated this when I met with Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, on 17 February. We discussed the attacks and agreed on the importance of protecting democracy. The UK has a deep and longstanding relationship with Brazil based on shared commitments to human rights, democracy and the rule of law and we look forward to working with President Lula and his government to further strengthen our relationship.