A Safer World
Britain must find its place in a more dangerous world...
... and doing so means rediscovering our values.
Russia continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine. Authoritarian governments are trying to silence their opponents beyond their own borders. Conflict has devastated communities across the Middle East. Donald Trump’s actions and threats have raised serious questions about whether Britain can continue to rely so heavily on the United States for its security.
Britain needs a foreign policy grounded in democracy, human rights and international law.
These questions aren't distant, they reach directly into Sutton and Cheam. Our constituency is home to Hong Kongers, Ukrainians, Afghans, Tamils and Ahmadi Muslims, alongside many other communities with close connections to countries across the world.
Their experiences remind us that foreign policy is about people. It determines whether families can live safely, whether people can practise their faith, whether dissidents can speak freely and whether those fleeing persecution can build secure lives to contribute to society here in Britain.
Britain must remain resolute in its support for Ukraine.
Putin’s illegal invasion has killed and displaced countless people. It has also attacked the fundamental principle that countries have the right to determine their own future without a larger neighbour changing their borders by force.
I have called for frozen Russian assets held in Britain to be used to support Ukraine’s defence and eventual reconstruction. Russia and the oligarchs who sustained Putin’s regime should bear responsibility for the destruction they have caused.
Europe must also become more capable of defending itself.
I have warned in Parliament that European defence remains dangerously dependent on vital American hardware. Replacing those systems, integrating new equipment and training people to operate it could take decades. That leaves Britain and its neighbours vulnerable if a United States president decides that Europe, NATO or Ukraine no longer matters to them.
Donald Trump has repeatedly shown a willingness to challenge international law, threaten allies and treat global security as a transaction. Britain cannot base its defence on the goodwill of one American president.
The United States remains an important ally. But Britain should also deepen its security relationship with reliable European partners, rebuild our own capabilities and help create a stronger European pillar within NATO.
That means closer defence cooperation with the European Union, participation in shared security programmes and long-term investment in the equipment, skills and industrial capacity that Europe needs to protect itself.
Backing Ukraine and strengthening European security are two parts of the same mission. Putin must see that democracies will defend one another, regardless of who occupies the White House.
The United States has been one of Britain’s closest allies for generations. That relationship matters, but no alliance should require Britain to ignore threats to international law, democratic values or our own national interest.
Donald Trump has made the United States an increasingly unreliable partner.
His approach is driven by threats, tariffs and military force. He has attacked allies, undermined NATO and treated international relationships as transactions shaped by his personal interests.
I have described Trump as an impulsive and dangerous political figure whose actions are making the world less stable. Britain must be prepared to challenge him directly.
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Go to YouTubeThousands of Hong Kongers have made Sutton their home.
They have built businesses, raised families and become an integral part of our community. Many came to Britain seeking the freedoms that the Chinese Communist Party has systematically dismantled in Hong Kong.
Yet some still fear surveillance and intimidation here in Britain.
Hong Kongers in Sutton have told me that they feel unable to show their faces at demonstrations because they fear consequences for relatives overseas. A children’s event held by the community at a local church was even publicly attacked by a former Hong Kong Chief Executive.
No foreign government should be able to frighten people into silence on British soil.
I have repeatedly raised the threat of transnational repression in Parliament. I have opposed plans for China’s enormous new embassy complex in London because of the serious risks it poses to Hong Kongers, Chinese dissidents and British national security.
I have also campaigned to protect the British National Overseas visa route, close gaps that exclude young political dissidents and ensure that changes to immigration rules do not break the promise Britain made to BNO passport holders.
Hong Kongers should also be able to access the pension savings held in their Mandatory Provident Fund accounts. Their own money must not be used as another tool of political punishment.
Britain has a historic and moral responsibility towards the people of Hong Kong. I will continue working with Hong Kong community groups and pressing the Government to protect their rights, security and route to permanent settlement.
The treatment of Hong Kong forms also forms part of a wider challenge.
China is expanding its military power, carrying out espionage overseas and using its economic influence to silence criticism. Its actions place Taiwan under constant threat and have subjected Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang to grave human rights abuses.
I have spoken in Parliament in support of Taiwan’s democracy and its right to participate in international organisations.
Taiwan is a successful democracy and an important economic partner. Yet it remains excluded from bodies such as the World Health Organization and Interpol because of pressure from Beijing. That exclusion weakens international cooperation and rewards China’s attempts to isolate the Taiwanese people.
The Government needs a comprehensive China strategy that places human rights, national security and cooperation with our European allies at its centre. Ministers must establish clear consequences for espionage and transnational repression, defend Taiwan’s meaningful international participation and confront forced labour in Chinese supply chains.
Instead, it is rewarding them with a new super-embassy in London, despite the risks to our national security and those living here who escaped the CCP's rule.
Britain should engage with China where cooperation is necessary. That engagement must never require silence about repression or abandonment of people whose freedoms are under threat.
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Go to YouTubeFreedom of religion is a fundamental human right.
Sutton and Cheam is home to a large and active Ahmadi Muslim community. I have heard directly from Ahmadis who are deeply worried about the persecution faced by members of their faith in Pakistan.
Ahmadi Muslims have been legally excluded, threatened, arrested and attacked. Their mosques and graves have been desecrated, sometimes with the apparent involvement or acquiescence of public authorities.
I raised this persecution in Parliament and called on the Government to make the rights of Ahmadis a consistent priority in its relationship with Pakistan. I have also tabled questions about the legal discrimination they face and attacks on Ahmadi places of worship.
Britain has close historical, diplomatic and economic ties with Pakistan. Those relationships give us a responsibility and an opportunity to demand change.
The Pakistani Government must protect Ahmadi Muslims, end discriminatory laws and ensure that those responsible for violence and incitement are brought to justice.
Nobody should face intimidation, imprisonment or death for practising their faith. I will keep standing with the Ahmadi community in Sutton and with those facing religious persecution around the world.
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Go to YouTubeSutton also has a proud and long-established Tamil community.
The terrible events at the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war continue to cause grief and anger. Families still seek truth, accountability and justice for those who were killed, disappeared or displaced.
I have raised the protection of Sri Lankan Tamils directly with the Government. I have asked ministers about the rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka, the treatment of Tamil fishermen and the welfare of Tamil asylum seekers who were detained on Diego Garcia.
I have also supported the celebration of Tamil culture here in Britain.
The UK should use its position at the United Nations and its relationship with Sri Lanka to pursue accountability for human rights abuses, support a credible reconciliation process and defend the rights and dignity of Tamil communities.
Remembrance must lead to action. Britain should remain a clear voice for justice, self-determination and lasting peace in Sri Lanka.
The suffering in Israel and Palestine in recent years has shocked us all to our core. It is appalling.
Hamas’s murder and abduction of civilians on 7 October 2023 must never be forgotten and should always be condemned.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has caused immense destruction, displaced families and devastated essential services. Civilians, medical workers and humanitarian organisations must be protected, and aid must always be allowed to reach those who desperately need it.
I have met people directly affected on both sides, including the family of an Israeli hostage and members of Standing Together, a movement of Jewish and Palestinian citizens campaigning for peace, equality and social justice.
Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live with dignity, security and freedom.
I support a negotiated two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. The Liberal Democrats were instrumental in getting the UK to finally recognise the state of Palestine and I'm pushing for the government to continue to use its diplomatic influence to preserve a viable path towards lasting peace.
I have also called for arms exports to Israel to be suspended where there is a risk that British equipment could be used in breaches of international law.
A lasting peace will require the defeat of extremism, an end to occupation and a political settlement that gives both peoples a secure future.
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