Tag: foreign affairs

Bishop of Leeds asks about ongoing conflict in Ukraine

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on countering ongoing and future effects of the forcible removal of Ukrainian children from their homes and country by Russia on 24th November 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, will the Minister respond to two questions? First, on the real impact of sanctions, they do not seem to have diminished in any way Russia’s ability or intention to pursue this war of attrition and the cruelties that have already been mentioned, particularly in relation to children. Secondly, as someone who was a Soviet military specialist in a previous career, I can say that their aim is not to punish children but to wipe out a generation’s memory and retell a story. The effects of that, even if children are brought back at the end of this war, are going to go on for a generation. Have the Government given any consideration to how the rules-based international order can be effectively used to counter this and prepare for that longer term future?

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Bishop of Leicester asks about important role of the BBC World Service

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the important role of the BBC in providing trusted information through the BBC World Service Programme on 12th November 2025, during a discussion on recent changes in leadership at the BBC:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I have just returned from a visit to a country in west Africa that I know very well, and which has sadly suffered a number of coups in recent years. However, I can testify first-hand that the role of the BBC in such situations is highly regarded. In a situation where people do not know where to turn to find out what is happening around them, and where there are huge amounts of fear and anxiety, it is to the BBC that they turn to find out what is happening. I believe that remains true today, even in the face of mistakes that have been made. Can the Minister reassure us that the BBC will continue to have the people and resources needed to play this vital role internationally?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about recognising roots of global conflicts

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on tackling the root causes of conflicts in Africa and the Middle East on 1st September 2025, following a government statement on the situation in Gaza:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I totally endorse what has been said about Sudan. I was there a year ago and am in almost weekly contact with people there at the moment. But I am slightly worried about the terms in which we debate some of these matters, such as Gaza and Ukraine. The crisis in Ukraine did not begin on 24 February 2023; the crisis in Gaza and the Middle East did not begin on 7 October 2023. Our attempts to simplify the conflict, perhaps for conceptual reasons, do not always help us. It is immensely complex, it goes back a long way and 7 October cannot be the justification for everything that follows. Does the Minister agree?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about freedom of religion in Estonia

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 18th July 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of freedom of religion or belief in Estonia.
  • what assessment they have made of whether the proposed the Act on Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act adopted by the Estonian Parliament on 18 June contravenes international standards and norms on the right to freedom of religion of belief, and whether they have made representations to the government of Estonia.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about religious freedom in Armenia

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 16th July 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of arrests made in the Republic of Armenia of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan; and the impact the arrests may have on freedom of religion in Armenia.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about forced deportations of Rohingya refugees from India

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th July 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of India regarding the forced deportation of Rohingya refugees.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about addressing future risks presented by Israel-Iran conflict

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on addressing the risk of future terrorism as a result of the trauma of the current conflict in the Middle-East on 24th June 2025, following a government statement on the Israel-Iran conflict:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am grateful for the Statement and the commitments the Government are making, but history teaches us that you cannot bomb an idea or a resentment out of existence. Going back to the comments made by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, about the difference between strategy and tactics, what scenario planning are the Government doing to address the next three or four generations of terrorists who are being born amid the traumas of the current violence?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about Israeli settlements and recognition of a Palestinian state

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 23rd June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding its announcement of 29 May that 22 new Israeli settlements have been approved in the West Bank.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about preservation of cultural heritage in Jerusalem and Cairo

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 17th June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • whether they will meet members of Save the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem; and what support, if any, they are providing to the campaign of preventing the takeover of Armenian property in the Old City of Jerusalem.
  •  whether they will take steps to ensure there are no changes to the shape of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem that would be illegal.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about government policy towards Israel and Palestine

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on efforts to recognise Palestinian statehood and the issue of trade with illegal settlements in Israel on 16th June 2025, following a government statement on the conflict in the Middle East:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I pray for wise judgment and a swift end to the current conflict between Israel and Iran. I pray for restraint and for the safety and well-being of Jewish people, here and around the world. I support the steps that have been made to protect British nationals and I am appalled by the attacks on civilians, wherever they occur.

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