Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on (a) the removal from office of directly-elected mayors in that country and (b) the recent statement by President Erdogan suggesting that successful mayoral candidates in Kurdish-majority areas may also be removed following local elections.

We have urged and will continue to urge free, fair and inclusive local elections, due to take place in March 2019. If elected representatives are accused of a crime, it is important that the legal process against them meets the highest standards. The conduct of local elections is primarily a matter for Turkey.