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G7 and NATO Summits
16 June 2021
Lead MP
Boris Johnson
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
EconomyTaxationClimateBrexitForeign AffairsBusiness & Trade
Other Contributors: 61
At a Glance
Boris Johnson raised concerns about g7 and nato summits in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Prime Minister announced the outcomes of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, which aimed to address global issues such as vaccine distribution, climate change, education for girls, and economic recovery. He highlighted that the UK would contribute to supplying developing countries with another billion doses of vaccines, including 100 million from the UK itself. The G7 also agreed on a Global Pandemic Radar and rapid development of new vaccines within 100 days in case of future outbreaks. The summit focused on fair tax systems for global corporations, ensuring technology serves prosperity and hope, and getting 40 million more girls into school by 2025. The UK pledged £430 million to the Global Partnership for Education. Additionally, the G7 committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, halving carbon emissions by 2030 compared with 2010 levels, and increasing climate finance between now and 2025. The UK also welcomed Australia as a guest at the summit, reaching a free trade agreement between the two countries that would eliminate tariffs on all British exports and include protections for British farmers and animal welfare over the next 15 years.
Question
Not provided in the given transcript
Minister reply
Not provided in the given transcript
Keir Starmer
Lab
Holborn and St Pancras
Question
Criticised the G7 summit outcomes, highlighting missed opportunities to vaccinate the world effectively, address climate change adequately, restart the Middle East peace process, and resolve tensions over the Northern Ireland protocol. Accused the Prime Minister of prioritising headlines and photos over substantive progress.
Minister reply
Acknowledged the shadow's concerns but emphasised the significant achievements at the summit, including 1 billion additional vaccines, commitments to net zero emissions by 2050, and support for clean green technology in developing nations. Criticised the Labour Party for underestimating UK’s efforts and contributions.
Chingford and Woodford Green
Question
Asked whether the Prime Minister stands with President Biden on confronting China's forced labour practices, and if so, will he bring forward export controls to prevent goods produced by Uyghur slave labour from entering UK markets.
Minister reply
Confirmed that Magnitsky sanctions have already been put in place against those involved in forced labour in Xinjiang, and the government remains committed to import controls on such produce.
Question
Critiqued the Prime Minister's leadership at the G7 summit, questioning the UK’s contributions to climate action and vaccine distribution. Inquired about the exact figure for the “Marshall plan” for climate action, criticised the small size of the UK's COVID stimulus package compared to other G7 nations, and asked about NATO proposals on Uyghur Muslim minority protection in China.
Minister reply
Emphasised that no concrete measures were discussed at NATO regarding Uyghurs but reasserted the commitment to opposing forced labour and sanctioning those benefiting from it. Reiterated the success of the summit in addressing climate change and vaccine distribution, highlighting significant UK contributions despite economic challenges.
Andrew Mitchell
Con
Sutton Coldfield
Question
My right hon. Friend’s significant success at the G7 last weekend has sadly been dented by the fact that Britain is the only G7 country cutting vital aid and is doing so in the middle of a global pandemic. That decision is not only doing grave damage to the reputation of global Britain; it will also lead to more than 100,000 avoidable deaths, principally among women and children. Will he reflect on the fact that many of us, in all parts of the parliamentary party, are urging him to reverse these terrible humanitarian cuts, and that we are not, as he suggested in Prime Minister’s questions last week, lefty propagandists, but his political friends, allies and supporters, who want him to think again?
Minister reply
I have the utmost respect for my right hon. Friend’s record in overseas aid, but I have to say that the changes that we have made to official development assistance have not been raised with me by anybody at the G7; nor have they by any recipient country —and I have talked to many of them. That is because they know that the United Kingdom remains one of the biggest donors in the world—second in the G7—and, in spite of all the difficulties that we have been going through, we are contributing £10 billion this year to supporting countries around the world. We have also just increased our spending on female education. That was one thing that people did raise with me, and they did so to congratulate the UK Government on what we were doing. People in this country should be very proud of the contributions that they are making.
Edward Davey
Lib Dem
Kingston and Surbiton
Question
[Inaudible] the Prime Minister waxed lyrical about the fight against climate change, but only after stepping off his private jet; he made the case for investing in girls’ education around the world, yet he is cutting the amount we spend on it by 40% this year; he talked up the importance of international agreements while reneging on the one he signed; and he advocated the importance of democracy while introducing plans to make it harder for people to vote in this country. When will the Prime Minister realise that his approach of “Do as I say, not as I do” is ruinous to Britain’s reputation on the world stage?
Minister reply
The Liberal Democrats should get their facts right. We are not cutting spending on girls’ education, to pick one of the points made by the right hon. Gentleman; we are actually increasing it by at least 15%. We are spending £432 million on the Global Partnership for Education. Look at what this country is doing on tackling climate change, with the commitment to net zero. That was actually made after we were in coalition with the right hon. Gentleman. Freed from the shackles of Lib Dem hypocrisy, we were able to get on with some serious work and commit, under my premiership—freed from the uselessness of the Lib Dems—£11.6 billion to help the people of the world to tackle climate change. He should realise that for people listening to him who really care about tackling climate change and allowing the world to build back cleaner, greener and better, he is making it harder not just to vote, but to vote Lib Dem.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Question
Does my right hon. Friend recall President Macron insisting that nothing in the Northern Ireland protocol is negotiable even though he admits that it contains what he calls inconsistencies? If the peace and stability of Northern Ireland is being undermined by the application of the protocol, then it is obvious that the protocol itself must be renegotiated: how could anyone seriously consider otherwise? Will my right hon. Friend urge the EU not to give precedence to the protocol over the peace process and the Good Friday agreement, and will he remind it of the 2017 joint report, which included the aspiration that the then backstop would be removed via negotiations and what it calls “specific solutions”? Will he pursue that policy?
Minister reply
The problem at the moment is the application of the protocol. The protocol makes it very clear that there should be no distortions of trade and that the Good Friday peace process, above all, must be upheld, but it is being applied in such a way as to destabilise that peace process and applied in a highly asymmetrical way. All we are asking for is a pragmatic approach. I hope very much that we will get that, but if we cannot get that, then I will certainly take the steps that my hon. Friend describes.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Question
Monday’s Australian trade deal announcement revealed the Prime Minister’s fear of democratic accountability. He has withheld details of the agreement and prevented Parliament from doing our proper job of scrutiny at the proper time. Yet, from day one, Australian farmers will be able to export over 60 times more beef before UK tariffs kick in—that is no tariff whatsoever on up to 35,000 tonnes of potentially low-welfare beef. So, from day one, will he at least commit to an annual assessment of the economic impact of his deal on Welsh beef and lamb farmers?
Minister reply
I will repeat the point I have made to many Opposition Members. This is an opportunity for UK farming and indeed for Welsh farmers. The right hon. Lady speaks with apprehension about 35,000 tonnes of Australian beef. We already import about 300,000 tonnes of EU beef. Australian farmers observe very, very high animal welfare standards, and they will only get completely tariff-free access after 15 years. After 15 years, we are going to give people in Australia the same rights of access as we give the 27 other EU countries.
Greg Smith
Con
Mid Buckinghamshire
Question
The recent agreements on cyber defence policy and technological co-operation announced at the NATO summit in Brussels will mean that the alliance remains as strong as ever when faced with new threats. Will my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirm that he remains utterly committed to NATO as the foundation of our collective security?
Minister reply
Yes. NATO has protected the world, and particularly the European continent, for 72 years, and it was clear from the conversation around the table that it will continue to do so for decades to come.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
Question
Reports emanating from the summit suggest that Monsieur Macron does not seem to understand the constitutional parameters of the United Kingdom, given that he thought that we were part of a different country. Will the Prime Minister take steps to ensure that all our partners know what those parameters are? Will he also take great care in the next few days and weeks not to jeopardise devolution even further in Northern Ireland, as it has been put in jeopardy in the past few days as a result of Sinn Féin’s actions?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman. We want to strengthen Northern Ireland and strengthen Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, and that is what we are going to be doing.
Question
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the success of the G7, which I think did Britain proud. May I ask him about the NATO summit and whether there were any discussions about the role for the alliance in the maintenance and protection of energy security and, in particular, about the need to reduce dependence on Russia? Specifically, were there any discussions about the strategic vulnerability being introduced to Europe by the Germans’ selfish obsession with the Nord Stream 2 project? If such a discussion did not occur, will he please ensure that it does?
Minister reply
I do not think I am giving anything away by telling my right hon. Friend that there were certainly discussions about the vital importance of all of us getting to net zero and avoiding a dependence on hydrocarbons, whether it is strategically unwise or not.
Question
The failure of the G7 to reach an agreement on ending investment in all fossil fuels speaks volumes about the Prime Minister’s true climate leadership. Today he mentions coal but again ignores oil and gas. That is not a green industrial revolution; that is business as usual. The International Energy Agency said last month that there must be no new oil, gas or coal developments if the world is to reach net zero, so with the success of COP26 now hanging in the balance, will he heed the call from 101 Nobel laureates for a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and will he pursue that with G7 leaders and others before the climate summit, or is he happy for that to be judged a colossal failure of his leadership too?
Minister reply
When we consider how much some of these countries are dependent on coal, I think it was groundbreaking for the summit to agree not to support any more overseas coal. The commitments on net zero and on making progress by 2030 are outstanding, and it can be done. The hon. Lady’s mood of gloom and pessimism is not shared by the people of this country. We know that in 2012, 40% of our power came from coal. Now, thanks to this Conservative Government and the actions we have taken to reduce dependence on coal, it is down to less than 2% and falling the whole time. The whole world knows that, and they are following the UK’s example.
Question
It is absolutely right that I congratulate the Prime Minister and all those involved in hosting the G7 summit in my constituency over the weekend. It was an absolutely fantastic event and we in Cornwall feel very proud of the part that we played. I also want to thank the police, who were quite incredible and who travelled from all over the country to help out. I also have an apology for the Prime Minister, because the truth is that we are very proud of the Carbis Bay declaration and I may well mention it once or twice in the years to come. We are proud of the declaration because of the commitments to covid vaccines, to the education of 40 million extra girls, to the global climate change response and to a fairer economic recovery and job creation. Will my friend the Prime Minister commit to further opportunities for Parliament to understand the details of the Carbis Bay declaration as they become available?
Minister reply
Yes. The Carbis Bay declaration is the foundation of the treaty that this country has been helping to prepare, and which we have been pioneering, against any future pandemic. The crucial elements are zoonotic research hubs, the pathogen surveillance network, and the undertaking to share data to prevent barriers between our countries in the export of personal protective equipment, medicines, vaccines and other things. It is the foundation to ensure that the time between a new variant arriving and a new vaccine should be kept down to 100 days, and to ensure that we spread know-how and manufacturing capacity around the world. This is the foundation of a new global approach to tackling pandemics. The UK has been absolutely instrumental in setting this up, to say nothing of the funding that we have put in, and I believe that the Carbis Bay declaration will be seen as a very important step towards the treaty later this year.
Neale Hanvey
Lab
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for his update on the G7 summit. However, I find myself in the curious position of agreeing with one of my Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath predecessors, who commented on the commitments secured as an “unforgivable moral failure”. The agreement is simply not good enough: 11 billion vaccines are needed and 1 billion have been promised; $50 billion of funding is needed, but only $5 billion has been promised. Will the Prime Minister now show real leadership and redouble efforts to secure suspension of intellectual property protections?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is running down UK’s efforts, as well as what the summit achieved, which includes 1 billion more vaccines on top of 1 billion already committed by G7 countries. The UK has contributed significantly, distributing one-third of the 1.5 billion vaccines worldwide and contributing to the COVAX roll-out.
Rob Butler
Con
Beaconsfield
Question
Communiqués from the G7 and NATO summits speak of increasing challenges and threats from China, be they military build-up, cyber-attacks, human rights abuses, or the belt and road initiative. Will my right hon. Friend reassure the House that the common values and commitment to democracy will result in tackling malign actions?
Minister reply
Nobody at either the G7 or NATO wants a new cold war with China, but there must be firmness in collective dealings particularly regarding Uyghurs, navigation rights in South China sea, and freedoms of Hong Kong.
Stephen Farry
Alliance
North Down
Question
The Northern Ireland protocol was a key theme on the margins of the G7 summit. Why is the Prime Minister so stubbornly resisting temporary solutions to reduce checks across Irish sea?
Minister reply
While no immediate response is given, the context of free trade agreements like Australia are highlighted.
Thomas Tugendhat
Con
Tonbridge and Malling
Question
Will he commit to ensuring that this House is informed well in advance of COP26 agreements so they can pass easily?
Minister reply
I will do my best, although the experience over past years indicates that the House is a great legislator but not an ideal negotiator.
Hilary Benn
Lab
Leeds Central
Question
While 1 billion additional vaccine doses for developing countries were welcome, how will the rest of the required 11 billion doses be secured?
Minister reply
We agreed at G7 to work together to increase manufacturing capacity and fill-and-finish facilities around the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Our ambition is to vaccinate the world by the end of next year.
Damian Green
Con
Ashford
Question
Can my right hon. Friend guarantee that the 70 million doses delivered through 2022 will be in addition to our existing aid budget?
Minister reply
Yes.
Chris Bryant
Lab
Rhondda
Question
Following the Carbis Bay declaration, may I urge the Prime Minister to come to Wales to sign a Cardiff Bay declaration for radical extra investment in Wales?
Minister reply
We have massively increased support for NHS and work closely with Welsh Government. Consistency of approach is needed, such as improving A55 or M4 bypass.
John Redwood
Con
Wokingham
Question
No fewer than five representatives of the European Union at the G7 tried to undermine people of Northern Ireland. Will the Prime Minister ensure goods can flow freely in UK internal market?
Minister reply
The EU invoked article 16, undermining faith in the protocol by putting a barrier on movement of vaccines.
Joanna Cherry
SNP
Edinburgh South West
Question
Can the Prime Minister tell us what steps he took at the weekend to raise and progress the restarting of the important peace process in the Middle East?
Minister reply
We remain committed to a two-state solution for the Middle East, continuously raising this with friends around the world.
Alec Shelbrooke
Con
Wetherby
Question
Does he agree that our position on cyber and space defence not only makes us still one of the biggest contributors to NATO but one of the integral partners?
Minister reply
Yes, NATO’s project 2030 is in accordance with the integrated review set out by the Government.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall
Question
Does his actions show a gaping hole between his words and actions regarding global aid cut? Will he respect this House by bringing that vote to Parliament?
Minister reply
Leaders around the world supported girls’ education, committing $2.75 billion towards Global Partnership for Education with UK increasing its commitment by 15% despite pandemic.
Harriett Baldwin
Con
West Worcestershire
Question
I congratulate the Prime Minister and his whole team on delivering such a wonderful G7 summit. I welcome the announcement on the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education. As our economy recovers and we return to the promised 0.7%, will he put at the forefront of his work in his time in Government ensuring that we really boost the efforts to educate every child in the world through UNICEF, Education Cannot Wait, the Global Partnership for Education and, of course, our wonderful UK Girls’ Education Challenge?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for her support for female education. I remember discussing it with her many, many times. I know how much she cares about it. The programme we are embarked on will mean 40 million more girls in school by 2025 and 20 million more girls reading over the next five years.
Rupa Huq
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
I congratulate the Prime Minister on his recent wedding and the delightful G7 family photos. What is his current thinking on granting amnesty to illegal immigrants? Did he have a chance to discuss that with President Biden, because they did it first there in 1986? The Prime Minister told me here on day two of the job that he was minded to go down the regularisation route, but he was thwarted by predecessors. Was that just an unscripted blurt-out flashback to the 2012, pre-PM, pre-red wall version of himself, or is he a man of his word?
Minister reply
We remain committed to a generous and open approach to immigration. This country already does regularise the position of those who have been here for a long time and have not fallen foul of the law. What we will not do is go back to a complete free-for-all and abandon control of our borders to Brussels.
Question
I welcome the new climate commitments made by G7 countries to almost halve their carbon emissions by 2030, which will pave the way towards a green and global recovery. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is essential that we build on the historic climate change commitments made at the G7 with even stronger global commitments at the upcoming COP26 conference?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right. This was a good waymark and we made some good steps forward on the road to COP26. There is still a long way to go, but there is a great deal of enthusiasm from other countries because they can see that it creates high-wage, high-skill jobs as well as solving climate change.
Chi Onwurah
Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Question
The G7 did agree action on tax-dodging corporations, but it was watered down after the Prime Minister refused to back President Biden’s original proposal for a 21% minimum global corporation tax rate, which would have delivered £15 billion a year to Britain—enough to fund a proper covid catch-up in education and support for covid-excluded businesses that are now facing extended restrictions. Why did the Prime Minister put global corporation shareholders above British children and British businesses?
Minister reply
That is a great one from the Labour party, because they actually opposed the increase in corporation tax at the Budget. They should try to remember what they have been doing over the last few months. It was a great achievement, after a long time, to get the western world—the G7—to agree to find a way of taxing the multinational giants that make profits in one country and then hook them somewhere else.
Question
As we reflect on the many successes of the G7 summit, the Prime Minister will know that the growing importance of soft power is very much recognised by the G7, yet there remains a £10 million shortfall between the Government’s generous package to see the British Council through the pandemic and what it needs to maintain its international network of offices, as defined by country directors in post abroad. If the gap is not bridged, the result will be the largest single set of closures in the British Council’s proud 90-year history. Given that the Prime Minister has told me personally that he gets it and that the £10 million can be given as a loan, and given that our competitors’ cultural institutes are actually expanding their physical footprint, will he now ensure that Government Departments also get it in time for the ministerial statement due shortly?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend and thank him for his continuing campaigning on this issue. We are giving the British Council more support now, because I know it has been very tough for them during the pandemic.
Question
The Prime Minister will know that the £100 billion every year for climate change transformation in developing countries is the same £100 billion that was announced 12 years ago, in 2009. He will also know that the £11.6 billion that he has announced today is over five years, and he actually announced it two years ago at the United Nations General Assembly. This is not new money, and nor is the UK’s contribution of £11.6 billion over five years enough to be our part of the £100 billion every year that was promised by the G7. If there is going to be credibility in the developing world to play its part at COP26 later this year, will the Prime Minister now give us some details and make sure that the rest of the G7 give those same details about real spending, not recycling?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman should study what all the G7 countries said, because several of them made very big commitments indeed—the Canadians, the EU—to financing the tackling of climate change.
Question
I congratulate the Prime Minister on a successful weekend in Cornwall and on a very successful summit. Away from the doom and gloom of the Opposition, it is staggering that global Britain was on display this weekend in striking new trade deals. Could he perhaps reassure the House that, when we look at trade deals, they are the floor, not the ceiling of the economic growth that this country will be able to strike now and in the future, as we reach for the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right, particularly about the CPTPP.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
Question
With coronavirus, none of us are safe until everyone is safe. The world needs over 11 billion vaccine doses to end the pandemic, but the G7 vaccine offer falls well short and leaves billions of people without protection. To ramp up vaccine production needs a temporary waiver on intellectual property, so that all countries can access the technology. President Biden supports that, more than 100 other countries support that, but this Prime Minister is one of the people blocking it. So is not the Prime Minister putting the interests of profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies ahead of the lives of millions of people?
Minister reply
For the hon. Gentleman to talk about profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies, in view of the efforts made by AstraZeneca to distribute 500 million vaccines around the world at cost, is utterly disgraceful, and he should withdraw his remarks.
Laura Trott
Con
Sevenoaks
Question
I hugely welcome the Prime Minister’s focus on gender equality at the G7, and I note that the Leader of the Opposition, in his opening statement, did not mention girls or women once. Can the Prime Minister, who set some very ambitious targets on girls’ education and ending violence against women and girls, come back to the House before 2026 to reassure us that progress is being made on that very important topic?
Minister reply
Of course, Mr Speaker; the project will be scarcely off my lips.
Question
I am not sure whether you are more surprised at the Prime Minister consistently giving you a promotion or a sex change, Madam Deputy Speaker, but we will leave it to you to decide that for yourself. While there are still billions of people across the world unvaccinated, all of us who have been vaccinated remain at risk that a new vaccine-resistant strain could evolve and undo all the work that has been done here and in other wealthy countries. So will the Prime Minister give a simple commitment to the principle that no one can claim to have defeated the coronavirus until the whole of humanity is adequately protected?
Minister reply
Of course, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Question
May I congratulate the Prime Minister on what was achieved at the G7 summit in Cornwall? The west had become a little risk-averse of late, and if the summit achieved anything, it was a recognition that the world is on a worrying trajectory, with new threats, new technology, new power bases posing complex, long-term challenges to our security, our trade, our freedoms and indeed our standards. The rise of China economically, technologically and militarily means that this will be their century, and the need for a new Atlantic charter underlines how frail our global order has become. Would the Prime Minister agree that the actions that we, the west, choose to take over the next few years in addressing the long international to-do list will determine how the next few decades play out?
Minister reply
Yes indeed. I thank my right hon. Friend. These are crucial times, and it was great to see the summit accomplishing so much, so fast.
Darren Jones
Lab
Bristol North West
Question
Might I just start by noting that the Prime Minister seems a little irritable this afternoon? I know that it is difficult when friendships break down, but I have every faith he will find reconciliation in due course. The International Monetary Fund concluded that there would be $9 trillion economic boost if the world’s covid vaccines are provided. We have heard multiple times that while the 860 million at the G7 is welcome, that is not enough. Could the Prime Minister explain to the House why we could not go further at the G7? What were the blockages to getting above 860 million vaccines?
Minister reply
We have gone above 860 million vaccines. On top of the 1 billion the G7 is already doing, we pledged a further 1 billion vaccines.
Jeremy Hunt
Con
Godalming and Ash
Question
Did the Prime Minister talk to Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Suga about social care reforms in Japan and Germany? Did he discuss loss and damage with President Trudeau and older people's initiatives with President Biden?
Minister reply
I did actually talk to Angela Merkel about social care, and I will tell him what she said at another time.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
Question
What steps will the Prime Minister take between now and COP26 to address loss and damage in countries most affected by climate change?
Minister reply
We are making progress on our efforts and we are 80% of the way there. We think it was a highly successful summit, and we will continue with these efforts.
Question
Does the Prime Minister agree that learning to live with an endemic virus is necessary instead of focusing on defeating it? Can he rule out bringing back restrictions in autumn or winter?
Minister reply
Our objective is to go forward with the road map and bring back freedoms, not necessarily focusing on defeating the virus but rather moving towards a return to normal.
Liam Byrne
Lab
Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
Question
What steps are being taken to ensure that two-thirds of the $23 billion in grant financing needed for global vaccination efforts is provided?
Minister reply
We are making incredible progress in distributing vaccines. The ambition is to vaccinate the world by the end of next year.
Question
Can we welcome plans to invest in global testing and new vaccine development? Does the Prime Minister agree that strengthening international cooperation on health is crucial?
Minister reply
We congratulate AstraZeneca for their work. Strengthening global co-operation on health, particularly against future pandemics, is absolutely vital.
Question
Can the Prime Minister clarify if reports of reduced checks in trade deals with Australia would prevent alignment with the EU?
Minister reply
The free trade deals we are doing and will continue to do make a nonsense of the proposal that the hon. Member outlines.
Question
What does the Prime Minister's leadership at G7 mean for people in Dudley North and across the UK?
Minister reply
The people of Dudley North will benefit massively from a new age of co-operation between democracies, generating high-wage jobs in the region.
Question
Does cutting aid undermine claims to be a soft power superpower and put lives at risk?
Minister reply
Absolutely not.
Question
Will the UK continue to champion girls' education across the world, spending more than £400 million over five years?
Minister reply
We will be spending over £400 million getting girls an education over the next five years.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
What discussions were had about extending economic and trade sanctions against China for atrocities in Xinjiang?
Minister reply
We did discuss many times over the last few days what has happened in Xinjiang, but there are difficulties with the UN Security Council approach.
Question
Will the Prime Minister work on and put full weight behind enabling UK to launch satellites from Spaceport Cornwall by next year?
Minister reply
I look forward to working with him on getting a launch before too long, as we have already seen inspiring progress in Cornwall.
Question
How will the Australian trade deal affect farmers' livelihoods, particularly hill farmers?
Minister reply
Farmers will have opportunities to export their wonderful produce tariff-free to a growing market under the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership.
Question
Did EU leaders express empathy for trade frictions experienced with Northern Ireland due to the protocol?
Minister reply
There are many ways in which we are seeing disproportionate application of the protocol, and our partners understand this.
Question
I welcome the commitment in the G7’s open societies statement to promoting the human rights of women and girls. As co-chair of the all-party group on women, peace and security, may I ask my right hon. Friend to keep in mind that this is vital for the future of Afghanistan, where women and children are under threat at present?
Minister reply
May I wish my hon. Friend a happy birthday? I confirm that we see the education of girls and young women as one of the great achievements of the UK presence in Afghanistan over the last two decades. We do not want that to be jeopardised now, which is why we are working with our friends in the G7 and NATO to make sure that we leave a lasting legacy.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Question
The Prime Minister talks proudly about our commitment to NATO. That, of course, depends on having a strong military in the United Kingdom. Does he regret his decision to break his election promise and cut the armed forces by 10,000?
Minister reply
We are investing another £24 billion in our defence, with the biggest increase in spending since the end of the cold war, and we are one of the few countries in NATO to contribute more than 2% of our GDP to NATO. We are the party that believes in our armed services. It was only recently that the Labour party was campaigning to put into office a man who wanted to abolish the armed forces.
Question
My right hon. Friend was right on Monday when he said: “The peace and stability brought by NATO has underpinned global prosperity for over 70 years”. Can he assure me that levelling up our military as part of the new NATO 2030 agenda will encompass the potential of our forces across the whole country, including the excellent Royal Marines at the Chivenor barracks in my North Devon constituency—where I believe his grandfather was stationed for a time—so that NATO will continue to be the bedrock of global defence for future generations?
Minister reply
My grandfather was indeed stationed at Chivenor. I thank the Royal Marines at Chivenor, who did such an outstanding job of looking after us all during the G7 summit. They will transform into the future commando force that will contribute to a more agile and active NATO alliance.
Greenwich and Woolwich
Question
At the G7, the Prime Minister and other leaders reasserted their intention to honour the 2009 promise of $100 billion in climate finance annually to support developing nations, but sufficient concrete financial commitments to make up the shortfall did not materialise. Does he agree that the commitment must be met by the UN General Assembly in September at the very latest, if we are not to risk failure at COP26 in November?
Minister reply
UNGA is, indeed, a very important way station, but this was a great start.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Given our shared belief that without the US and NATO there can be no security for the UK and Europe, does my right hon. Friend recall the strain on Anglo-American relations caused by Huawei’s infiltration of our critical national infrastructure? Will he therefore ensure that companies with dodgy and dubious links to the Chinese and Russian regimes will be firmly and fully shut out from building or operating our vital data and power pipelines in future?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend knows a great deal about what he speaks of. That is why we have passed the recent legislation to ensure that we protect this country from the loss of intellectual property and the sale of crucial national security businesses to unreliable partners overseas.
Question
Virtually no rationale or assessment has been put forward for the UK Government cuts to international aid that have been confirmed so far. The lack of responsibility taken for the damage that they will do is astounding, especially as the 0.7% commitment was in the Tory manifesto. How does the Prime Minister think that that squares with global Britain? How does he justify these shameful cuts to his G7 counterparts?
Minister reply
I repeat that countries around the world are in awe of this country’s continued contributions. They know that we are spending £10 billion during a very difficult time; they also know, because they have long memories, that we are spending more now than the Labour party ever did under Gordon Brown or Tony Blair.
Question
The G7 set out plans to lift women out of poverty and build back a more equal world by putting 40 million more girls into school in the next five years—another example of global Britain as a force for good. Does my right hon. Friend agree that investing in women, particularly girls’ education, is one of the most efficient ways to create economic growth in developing countries? Can he confirm that the UK will continue to lead the way on girls’ education moving forward?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right. I think that investing in girls’ education—12 years of quality education for every girl—is probably the single best, most efficient policy that we can support around the world. That is why we are putting another £430 million into the Global Partnership for Education, with more to come in July.
Navendu Mishra
Lab
Stockport
Question
Earlier this month, three civilians were tragically killed in a Turkish drone attack on a refugee camp in northern Iraq—all part of a sustained military action from the Turkish state against the Kurds that has been ongoing since April. We have also learned this month that the Turkish chief prosecutor has sought to expand the indictments seeking to shut down the country’s leading pro-Kurdish political party. This is a disgraceful attack on a minority community. Will the Prime Minister condemn the actions of the Turkish Government and call on our NATO partner to stop these attacks on Kurdish communities?
Minister reply
The situation in north-western Iraq is extremely complex. We must accept that the Kurdish fighters have done an extraordinary job against Isis and against the forces of Bashar al-Assad, but there is clearly a long-standing difficulty in their relations with Turkish forces, who themselves are bearing the brunt of a huge crisis of refugee flows. I will none the less study the incident that the hon. Gentleman describes.
Question
I absolutely applaud the Prime Minister’s determination to provide 12 years of quality education for girls. It is something that he has done for many years, but with the FCDO budget being slashed—by 60% to UNICEF, and 80% to family planning, which stops a lot of girls going to school—how does he think that that will be achieved?
Minister reply
We are increasing our funding for girls’ education to £430 million, which is about a 15% increase and an outstanding thing for this country to do in very, very difficult times. By the way, may I congratulate my hon. Friend because I think that her proposal for banning under-age weddings, which she brought to me, is now being carried forward. I thank and congratulate her on her work in that matter.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for his statement today. Will he outline the steps taken to inform the members of the G7 summit of the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, which seems to have gotten confused? I refer in particular to American President Biden and French President Macron. Will follow-up instructions and information be sent to help them grasp the fact that Northern Ireland was, is—in this centenary year—and will continue to be an integral part of the United Kingdom?
Minister reply
Yes, I think it is important that everybody understands that, although the media accounts of what took place differ very much from what actually happened at the summit where this was not really much of a topic of discussion. None the less, I think people do understand that Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom for economic and all other purposes.
Question
I applaud the Prime Minister for the time that he has spent at the Dispatch Box this afternoon in which he has spoken of the importance of increasing vaccine coverage around the world. I very much welcome the 100 million doses of covid vaccine that he has committed to countries with less-developed healthcare systems than our own. Supporting the poorest in this way does needs finance from both us and our partners, so may I ask him once again to look at our budget for this most valuable of causes?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that overseas spending should be one of the great focuses of UK spending in the next few years. I repeat what I said earlier about the 70 million doses next year. That will not come out of the existing ODA budget, but clearly funding vaccine technology around the world is one of those things in which this country excels and we will be doing a lot more of it.
Shadow Comment
Keir Starmer
Shadow Comment
The Labour leader welcomed the NATO 2030 agenda, strengthening cyber-security capabilities. However, he criticised the G7 summit for failing to provide a clear plan to vaccinate the world adequately or make significant progress on climate finance and emissions cuts. He highlighted that the summit failed to address important issues such as the Middle East peace process and tensions over the Northern Ireland protocol, which led to an unprecedented diplomatic rebuke from closest allies. Starmer argued that these failures undermined Britain’s reputation for upholding international law and left the country isolated.
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