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Sat, 9 December 2023

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Foreign Affairs Committee

The latest news and comment on the Foreign Affairs Committee

Articles
Foreign Secretary Defends China Diplomacy Despite Criticism From MPs
Foreign affairs
Foreign Secretary Defends China Diplomacy Despite Criticism From MPs
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has defended his visit to China against criticism from MPs that the government's stance on China has been "incoherent", as he visits the country for the first time.
Foreign Committee Chair Says UK And Allies Have 'Failed' To Deter Conflict In Balkans
Foreign affairs
Foreign Committee Chair Says UK And Allies Have "Failed" To Deter Conflict In Balkans
Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair Alicia Kearns will put pressure on politicians around the world to take a more “balanced” international approach and use deterrence to stop ongoing conflict in the Balkans.
Rishi Sunak Urged To Match 'Robust' China Rhetoric With Policy “Depth”
Foreign affairs
Rishi Sunak Urged To Match "Robust" China Rhetoric With Policy “Depth”
An influential Conservative MP has questioned the “depth” of Rishi Sunak's approach to China as he prepares to deliver his first foreign policy speech as Prime Minister.
Liz Truss Says UK Must Make “Difficult Decisions” Over Challenging Human Rights Abuses In Gulf States
Foreign affairs
Liz Truss Says UK Must Make “Difficult Decisions” Over Challenging Human Rights Abuses In Gulf States
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has defended the government’s failure to challenge human rights abuses during ongoing trade negotiations with Gulf States.
Committee Corridor: Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Defence
By Sienna Rodgers
Committee Corridor: Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Conservative MP, former soldier and foreign affairs specialist Tom Tugendhat is the host of a new podcast about Commons committees. He talks to Sienna Rodgers about the war in Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Nine months on from the fall of Kabul, the tragic human cost of Britain’s failings continues to mount
Defence
By Ash Alexander-Cooper
Nine months on from the fall of Kabul, the tragic human cost of Britain’s failings continues to mount
As the United Kingdom and our allies made plans for a hasty exit from Afghanistan last summer, thousands of Afghans received emails from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) informing them that they would be evacuated, following successful Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme applications.
New Whistleblower Claims Boris Johnson Intervened To Evacuate Dogs From Afghanistan
Foreign affairs
New Whistleblower Claims Boris Johnson Intervened To Evacuate Dogs From Afghanistan
A second whistleblower in the Foreign Office has backed up claims Boris Johnson personally intervened to help get a plane full of animals evacuated from Afghanistan during the UK’s military withdrawal from the country last year.
Liz Truss Says UK Did 'All We Could In Advance' To Deter Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
Foreign affairs
Liz Truss Says UK Did "All We Could In Advance" To Deter Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said that she warned Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, against invading Ukraine on three occasions, and that the UK did "all we could in advance” to prevent the crisis.

Email Shows Boris Johnson Authorised Evacuation Of Pen Farthing Dogs From Afghanistan
Foreign affairs
Email Shows Boris Johnson Authorised Evacuation Of Pen Farthing Dogs From Afghanistan
Boris Johnson personally authorised the evacuation of former soldier Pen Farthing and his animals from Afghanistan, according to documents released by the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Senior Foreign Office Official Says He Regrets Staying On Holiday As The Afghan Crisis Unfolded
Foreign affairs
Senior Foreign Office Official Says He Regrets Staying On Holiday As The Afghan Crisis Unfolded
The permanent under-secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has said he feels “regret” for not returning from holiday sooner as Afghanistan was on course to fall to the Taliban.
Whistleblower Accuses Foreign Office Of Leaving Afghans To Be 'Murdered By The Taliban'
Foreign affairs
Whistleblower Accuses Foreign Office Of Leaving Afghans To Be "Murdered By The Taliban"
A foreign office whistleblower has said just 5% of Afghan nationals who asked the UK for help to flee the Taliban were assisted in leaving the country.
Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Warns US-China Tensions Could Rise After Afghanistan Withdrawal
Foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Warns US-China Tensions Could Rise After Afghanistan Withdrawal
Foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat has said he believes that NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan will likely catalyse a significant rise in tensions between the US and China.
Dominic Raab Confirms Afghan British Embassy Guards Were Left Behind In Kabul
Foreign affairs
Dominic Raab Confirms Afghan British Embassy Guards Were Left Behind In Kabul
The Foreign Secretary has confirmed that Afghan guards who worked at the British embassy in Kabul were unable to evacuate to the UK because buses transporting them to the airport were prevented from entering the compound.
Dominic Raab Will Visit “Afghanistan Region” After Grilling By MPs On Evacuation Crisis
Foreign affairs
Dominic Raab Will Visit “Afghanistan Region” After Grilling By MPs On Evacuation Crisis
The foreign secretary has confirmed he is flying to the Middle East tonight amid growing criticism of his handling of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan.
Dominic Raab To Be Grilled On US-UK Relations And Afghans 'Left Behind' At Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing
Foreign affairs
Dominic Raab To Be Grilled On US-UK Relations And Afghans "Left Behind" At Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing
Exclusive: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will face tough questions on topics ranging from Britain’s relationship with China and Russia, to the number of individuals eligible for UK protection who have been “left behind”, during tomorrow’s emergency Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Afghanistan.
Parliamentary scrutiny of the government's approach to development aid has never been more vital
Foreign affairs
By Sarah Champion MP
Parliamentary scrutiny of the government's approach to development aid has never been more vital
The future of the International Development Committee is uncertain, but it has never been needed more. We propose the Committee remit shifts to cover all official development assistance spend across Government
Tom Tugendhat: 'China runs as a very big open prison'
Foreign affairs
By Alain Tolhurst
Tom Tugendhat: 'China runs as a very big open prison'
Despite his summer of receiving threats, Tom Tugendhat isn’t one to be silenced. The Foreign Affairs Committee chair speaks to Alain Tolhurst, about China, increasing Britain’s influence, and why he supports the ‘rebalance’ of less commuting
Senior Tory says Chinese hackers ran email impersonation campaign to discredit him after criticism of Beijing
Foreign affairs
Senior Tory says Chinese hackers ran email impersonation campaign to discredit him after criticism of Beijing
A senior Conservative MP has accused Chinese hackers of impersonating him online to try and discredit him after he criticised Beijing.
Coronavirus: Foreign Office ‘too slow‘ to repatriate Brits stranded abroad when pandemic hit
Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Foreign Office ‘too slow‘ to repatriate Brits stranded abroad when pandemic hit
The Foreign Office was too slow to help Brits stranded abroad when the coronavirus pandemic hit, a report by MPs has found.
Boris Johnson reportedly set for major U-turn over Huawei role in UK 5G network
Defence
Boris Johnson reportedly set for major U-turn over Huawei role in UK 5G network
Boris Johnson is reportedly set to make a major U-turn over the use of Huawei technology in the UK's 5G network.
End of the ‘golden era’? The growing calls for a ‘decoupling’ from China
Coronavirus
By Sebastian Whale
End of the ‘golden era’? The growing calls for a ‘decoupling’ from China
The Chinese Ambassador to the UK last week warned that increasingly vocal criticisms of Beijing from Conservative Members of Parliament risked “poisoning” UK-China relations. What’s behind the rift, and how should the UK approach one of the key foreign policy challenges of the coming decade? Sebastian Whale reports
Foreign Office boss U-turns and says he was wrong to claim ministers made ‘political decision’ not to join EU ventilator scheme
Coronavirus
Foreign Office boss U-turns and says he was wrong to claim ministers made ‘political decision’ not to join EU ventilator scheme
The Foreign Office’s top civil servant has retracted his claim that it was a “political decision” by ministers not to take part in an EU scheme to buy medical equipment to fight coronavirus.
Coronavirus: UK made ‘political decision’ not to join EU ventilator procurement scheme, says Foreign Office boss
Coronavirus
Coronavirus: UK made ‘political decision’ not to join EU ventilator procurement scheme, says Foreign Office boss
The UK’s failure to take part in an EU scheme to buy ventilators was a “political decision” by ministers, according to the Foreign Office's top civil servant.
Chinese ‘disinformation’ on coronavirus costing lives, say MPs
Coronavirus
Chinese ‘disinformation’ on coronavirus costing lives, say MPs
Chinese “disinformation” about the coronavirus pandemic has “already cost lives”, an influential group of MPs has warned.