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 Thai counterpart on the conduct of the recent elections in Thailand.

Ahead of the elections in Thailand on Sunday 24 March, the UK engaged in regular dialogue at Ministerial and senior official level with the Thai authorities and urged them to embrace a free and open environment in which elections could occur, including during Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s meeting with the Prime Minister in June 2018. Our Embassy in Bangkok also used every opportunity to press for the elections to be conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner.

Following the elections on Sunday, I issued a statement welcoming the fact that elections had taken place and highlighted that it was important that any reported irregularities were investigated swiftly, fairly and transparently. I also emphasised that the process of government formation should be conducted in a proper and open manner, and reflect what people voted for.