Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Sudanese counterpart on proposals by President Bashir to amend the Sudanese constitution to allow him to stand for election in 2020; and if he will make a statement.

During my visit to Khartoum in August, I urged the Government of Sudan to create a political environment conducive to freedom of expression and political affiliation. I discussed the 2020 elections in this context with First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh. During his visit to Sudan in September, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised the importance of a stable and pluralistic political environment in ensuring that the 2020 elections are free, fair and inclusive