Tuesday Volume 624 28 March 2017 No. 133 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 28 March 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 105 28 MARCH 2017 106 Mr Ellwood: The hon. Lady, who has deep experience House of Commons in the country, is absolutely right to point to the worries about the electoral registration process and the prospect Tuesday 28 March 2017 of unfair elections taking place. She is aware that we do not have the access we would like. We are concerned about the misuse of biometric data even now and about The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock registration kits going missing and then being used. We are working with our counterparts, including the United Nations, as well as multi-donor programmes, to improve PRAYERS access to justice and for the media so that, hopefully, the elections can take place in a fairer atmosphere. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] James Duddridge (Rochford and Southend East) (Con): My right hon. Friend will be aware that Chinese, Russian BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS and Israeli money is flooding in, buying influence in anticipation of a post-Mugabe—probably ZANU-PF- led—environment. With that in mind, what are the NEW WRIT Government doing to meet their manifesto pledge to Ordered, uphold the rule of law in Zimbabwe, which could again That the Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the become the centre of sub-Saharan Africa? Crown to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Member to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough Constituency of Mr Ellwood: My hon. Friend is right to point to our Manchester, Gorton, in the room of the right hon. Sir Gerald manifesto commitment. Given the fact that Mugabe is Bernard Kaufman, deceased.—(Mr Nicholas Brown.) still in place, he will understand that there are limits to what I can say, but I can assure him that we are working on this very hard indeed. Oral Answers to Questions Dr Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (SNP): I congratulate the right hon. FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE Gentleman on his actions last week. There have been disturbing reports in which six women The Secretary of State was asked— allege they were targeted for refusing to follow instructions to feign illiteracy, blindness and physical injury, which Zimbabwe would have allowed someone else to assist them by marking their ballot. Will the Foreign Secretary urge 1. Kate Hoey (Vauxhall) (Lab): What assessment he the police officer in command of Mashonaland central has made of whether Zimbabwe’s next election will be province to investigate these disturbing reports? conducted freely and fairly. [909508] Mr Ellwood: The hon. Lady illustrates just one example Mr Speaker: I call the Minister, the right hon. Tobias of what is happening in the country as we lead up to these elections. That is why we and other nation states Ellwood. [HON.MEMBERS: “Hear, hear!”] in the United Nations, and indeed in the African Union, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign are very concerned. We have limited access ourselves, so and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Tobias Ellwood): Thank we need to place pressure on those countries that are you, Mr Speaker. working in the country, to make sure that free and fair elections can take place and that this sort of activity is In Zimbabwe, presidential and parliamentary elections not carried out. are due to take place in 2018, but time is running out to implement the necessary preparations to allow voter Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con): May I, registration to be completed. We regularly raise our too, on behalf of those on the Conservative Benches, pay concerns and the importance of free and fair elections, tribute to my right hon. Friend for his actions last week? and this was done most recently on 21 March with the Has my right hon. Friend made any representations to deputy Foreign Minister. Zimbabwe’sSADC neighbours—South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia—to try to put pressure on Kate Hoey: I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman the Zimbabwean Government to ensure free and fair on his honour. elections? Are the Government aware that the opposition parties and human rights groups are all saying that the rigging Mr Ellwood: Yes, we have done so, and continue to do of elections has now commenced in Zimbabwe? Rural so. I will be visiting South Africa in the very near future, chiefs are being forced to take ZANU-PF cards and and this will be on the agenda. We are also working with food is being used as a weapon, and if we do not get the the African Union to place pressure on Zimbabwe. United Nations, the African Union and particularly the South African Development Community to do something Israeli Settlement Goods about the electoral registration system, we will not have free and fair elections. Can Her Majesty’s Government 2. Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab): What do even more to impress on those agencies that something representations he has made to the Israeli Government must be done to keep the flame of hope alive for the on that country’s ban on visitors who have advocated Zimbabwean people? boycotts of Israeli settlement goods. [909509] 107 Oral Answers 28 MARCH 2017 Oral Answers 108 The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Boris Johnson: Our policy, as my hon. Friend will Affairs (Boris Johnson): The British deputy ambassador know, is that consumers should have the right to judge met Israel’s Europe director on 13 March to discuss the for themselves whether they wish to purchase them. new immigration rules, and we continue to push for That is a policy that this Government have pursued for clarification from Israel on the impact on UK nationals. many years. We have updated our travel advice for Israel. Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) Andy Slaughter: UK citizens such as Hugh Lanning, (SNP): A Foreign Office Minister has previously described the chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, have the situation in Hebron as apartheid and settlement already been refused entry because of this ban, which endorsement as a form of extremism. Can the Secretary has been widely condemned, including within Israel of State tell the House whether the Minister for Europe itself. The advice on the Foreign Office’s website says and the Americas, the right hon. Member for Rutland that people should contact the Israeli embassy. Should and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan), would fall foul of the not the Foreign Secretary be contacting the Israeli new law if he attempted to travel there? embassy to say that people should not be restricted from travel to Israel and Palestine simply because they Boris Johnson: I do not believe that my right hon. wish to enforce international law due to the ban on Friend has said anything of the kind or called for any goods from settlements? such boycott, and nor do I believe for a second that he would be interrupted if he chose to go to Israel. I must stress that the policy of the Government is unchanged. Boris Johnson: We have of course offered to provide We remain opposed to illegal settlements and we believe consular assistance to Mr Lanning. He did not in fact that they are an obstacle to peace. I have said that many request our support, nor did he seem to need it. As the times already in this House, but I am happy to repeat it hon. Gentleman will know, Israel’s immigration policy to the hon. Lady. is a matter for Israel. We firmly oppose boycotts—the boycott, divestment and sanctions approach—against Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con): The Israel, as I am sure he does too, although clearly it is a main aim of the boycott movement is to delegitimise two-way street. the state of Israel, so will the Government continue to strongly oppose it? Sir Eric Pickles (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con): Is there not a need to be even-handed? Many countries Boris Johnson: We certainly shall. have banned people from entering and are indeed deporting people. Does not this underline how right the Government Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD): Has were to warn the UN Human Rights Council of its the Foreign Secretary had any indication that such a disproportionate bias against Israel? ban might be extended to those who advocate a ban on goods from the occupied Golan Heights? Does he agree that the UK Government’s refusal to support a resolution Boris Johnson: My right hon. Friend is absolutely at the UNHRC condemning the occupation of the right in his verdict on the UN Human Rights Council. I Golan Heights increases that likelihood? thought it was absolutely preposterous that there should be a motion condemning Israel’s conduct in the Golan Boris Johnson: With great respect to the right hon. Heights when, after all, we have seen in that region Gentleman, I have made very clear what I thought was of Syria the most appalling barbarity conducted by the profound absurdity of denouncing Israeli conduct the Assad regime. I think that was the point the UK in that region at a time when we are seeing absolute Government were rightly making. barbarism conducted by the Assad regime against the people of Syria. Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab): The Foreign Secretary says that he is seeking clarification Bilateral Relations: Poland from the Government of Israel.