Summary

  • Debate on reconciliation in foreign policy and international development

  1. 'Clarify' distinction between foreign and domestic activitypublished at 13:15 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Guardian's diplomatic editor tweets

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  2. Lib Dem MP airs concern peers 'representing Russian companies'published at 13:10 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft Urgent Question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tom BrakeImage source, HoC

    Liberal Democrat Tom Brake asks Sir Alan Duncan if he is aware of allegations that members of the House of Lords are "representing Russian companies".

    He says this includes Lord Truscott, who is the chairman of Russian Gold Fund's advisory board, a private equity fund "about which it is possible to find out precisely nothing in terms of who is investing in it or where that money is going".

    Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan says it is "not up to me to to comment on matters of the House of Lords", adding that "they have their own standards to uphold and it is for that House to apply those rules as they see fit."

  3. Not about next electionpublished at 13:04 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    BBC Political Correspondent tweets

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  4. UK cyber attack defences 'will be depleted' after Brexit - Lib Dempublished at 13:01 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft Urgent Question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine says the UK's defences against cyber attacks "will be depleted when the UK leaves the EU".

    She asks what plans the government have drawn up to counter cyber attacks in the future.

    Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan says the UK is "one of the leaders in the field" and that he has "enormous confidence in the competence of workers in this area in preventing attacks," he says.

  5. 'Inconstant gardener': May's PMQs swipe at Labourpublished at 13:01 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Theresa May hit back at Jeremy Corbyn during PMQs, saying the Labour leader "should be honest with people" about his Brexit policy.

    Read More
  6. 'Her behaviour is contemptuous'published at 13:01 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Theresa May attended prime minister's questions after her party confirmed a vote of no confidence in her leadership will be held.

    Read More
  7. Hack was designed to cause this encounter - ministerpublished at 13:01 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft urgent question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Hilary BennImage source, HoC

    Labour's Hilary Benn asks whether or not these problems with automatic retweeting also applied to the main Integrity Initiative Twitter accounts.

    Sir Alan says that this level of hacking from Russia was designed to create "the sort of encounters that we're witnessing here today".

  8. 'Any politician, of any party could have been affected by this'published at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft urgent question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Stephen GethinsImage source, HoC

    SNP spokesman Stephen Gethins says transparency and respect for the rule of law is the strongest tool against disinformation.

    He says there needs to be confidence in the democratic process and there should be no attacks on politicians.He asks what further steps will be taken to ensure this in future.

    Sir Alan Duncan says the initiative endeavours to tackle disinformation activity abroad, something all MPs should support.

    Within the UK, there has been some "automatic retweeting" of stories relating to Russia, some of which concerned Jeremy Corbyn. They could have concerned any politician of any party, he says.

    The work of the initiative has been judged to be non-partisan, he says.

  9. Foreign Office Minister 'satisfied' no government money funds UK domestic activitypublished at 12:55 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft Urgent Question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tory MP Kevin Foster asks if Sir Alan Duncan will be looking into this case as soon as possible.

    Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan says when this issue was "sprung" on him on Radio 4 "I said I would look into it right away - I did, I have established the facts, and I am satisfied that none of our money goes to fund UK domestic activity."

    He calls on shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to "mark her words carefully" before she "bellows untruths across the House".

  10. Russia hack 'bid to discredit' UK anti-disinformation campaign - Foreign Officepublished at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    James Landale
    Diplomatic correspondent

    The Foreign Office has accused Russian state media of trying to discredit a government-funded body that works to counter Kremlin disinformation.

    A spokesperson said the Institute for Statecraft was hacked several weeks ago and documents were "published and amplified by Kremlin news channels".

    The National Cyber Security Centre is said to be investigating.

    The FCO comments on the IfS were issued after a news report said the group had retweeted stories critical of Labour.

    The Institute for Statecraft is acharity registered in Scotland, externaland based in Gateside, Fife.

    Scotland's Sunday Mail newspaper ran a story , externalthis weekend that the Integrity Initiative run by the institute had retweeted an article in the New Statesman in April which criticised Labour's support for Russia's position on Syria; an article in the Times in February in which the writer Edward Lucas described Mr Corbyn as the Kremlin's "useful idiot", and a Sunday Times magazine piece that criticised Mr Corbyn's aide Seumas Milne for his opinions on Russia.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan said he had ordered an immediate investigation after seeing the report, saying "if there is any kind of organisation for which we are paying which is involved in domestic politics in that way, I would totally condemn it".

    Sir Alan confirmed the Foreign Office was funding the institute's Integrity Initiative on 27 Novemberin a written answer to a Parliamentary question, externalfrom Labour MP Chris Williamson.

    Read more here.

  11. Institute for Statecraft was hacked 'several weeks ago'published at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Institute for Statecraft urgent question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sir Alan DuncanImage source, HoC

    Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry says that the company planned to increase the impact of their website and Twitter account.

    She says that the company planned to use a network of 600 followers who were influential. She asks whether or not Foreign Office officials were monitoring the integrity of what was being published.

    She asks what is going to be done to ensure "nothing of this sort ever happens again".

    Sir Alan Duncan says that the Institute for Statecraft was hacked "several weeks ago" and documents were handed to Russian state broadcasters.

    He says that some "have been fooled" and now some are making accusations against a company which is trying to counter Russian disinformation.

    He adds that the agreement signed with the institute stipulates that no funding can be used for "domestic activity".

  12. Suggestion government funds attacks on Jeremy Corbyn 'wholly untrue'published at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Urgent Question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan says the Institute for Statecraft is an independent UK based charity whose work seeks to improve governance and enhance national security.

    It runs a programme called Integrity Initiative, which works to counter disinformation overseas by bringing together groups of experts to discuss Russian disinfomation.

    The government is providing nearly £2m of funding for the initiative, which covers activity outside of the UK,

    It is not used to fund activity within the UK, nor does it fund the Integrity Initiative's social media account.

    Any suggestions otherwise are "wholly untrue", he says.

  13. Emily Thornberry asks urgent questionpublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    So Prime Minister's Questions is now over, and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry is now asking an urgent question on the Institute for Statecraft's Integrity Initiative.

    Home Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan is giving a statement in response.

  14. PM cancels Dublin visit over confidence votepublished at 12:30 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Theresa May says her meeting with Leo Varadkar is off due to the leadership contest she faces.

    Read More
  15. PMQs: where to follow the actionpublished at 12:01 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    We'll be covering Prime Minister's Questions today on a different live page which is following the twists and turns of the PM's leadership challenge.

    You can follow all the team's posts, with comment, analysis and reaction.

    You can watch BBC Parliament on Freeview channel 232.

    We'll be back to cover the rest of the day in the Commons here after PMQs is over.

  16. Northern Ireland Secretary: Labour putting party politics above Good Friday Agreementpublished at 11:58 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Northern Ireland questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Independent Northern Irish MP Lady Sylvia Hermon says the withdrawal agreement protects the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

    She says it is "unforgivable" for the Labour Party to appear to have "abandoned" the Good Friday Agreement by voting against the deal.

    Karen Bradley says she agrees, stating putting party politics above the Good Friday Agreement is unacceptable.

  17. DUP: 'There is a contradiction in the PM's argument'published at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Northern Ireland Questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Nigel DoddsImage source, HoC

    The DUP's Westminster Leader Nigel Dodds says the prime minister has repeatedly told MPs that "this [her proposed Brexit deal] was the best deal and the only deal, and now she says it needs changes."

    He asks Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley what she says to this.

    Ms Bradley says "the prime minister has listened to concerns" and is acting on these in the interest of the British people.

    Nigel Dodds says there is "a contradiction in the prime minister's argument".

    Ms Bradley says "we all agree that the backstop is an uncomfortable thing that none of us want to see implemented," adding that this is why it is "simply an insurance policy".

  18. SNP MP points out Northern Ireland voted Remainpublished at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Northern Ireland questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tommy ShepparfdImage source, HoC

    SNP MP Tommy Sheppard says the prime minister has claimed she is on a "quest for democratic legitimacy" for her withdrawal agreement in respect of Northern Ireland, but suggests this is a "curious term" considering the people of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU.

    Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley says the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.

    The people of Northern Ireland want the deal that has been reached, she says, as they want to see the UK leave the EU in a "managed way that is not chaotic and works for Northern Ireland".

  19. Who's answering the questions today?published at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Commons tweets

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  20. Commons day beginspublished at 11:35 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2018

    Northern Ireland questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Commons business kicks off with Northern Ireland questions, with Labour MP John Mann requesting a national memorial to be built in memory of British service personnel killed on service in Northern Ireland.