Lord Callanan (Con)

My Lords, I begin by associating myself with the condolences expressed by the Foreign Secretary in the other place following the appalling tragedy in Crans-Montana. I know that the victims of that tragic fire, their friends and their families will be in all our thoughts at this very difficult time. The Government and the Opposition shared profound concerns about the Maduro regime. Nicolás Maduro was a tyrant responsible for unspeakable criminal abuses against the Venezuelan people. His was an appalling socialist dictatorship that destroyed the prospects of Venezuela and reduced it to penury. The brutality and repression suffered by the Venezuelan people under Maduro’s regime were appalling. When in government we refused to recognise it, and the Government are right to have continued that long-standing policy. In our view, the Government should always put Britain’s interests first, and national security is the first duty of government. We know that the United States is our closest security partner. It is the Government’s duty to work with the United States constructively in the interests of the British people. We on these Benches understand the United States’ reasons for taking this step. It is acting in its stated national interest against sustained drug smuggling and other criminal activity, including potential terrorism. While we understand that there remain questions about the precedent that this sets, that much is clear. Can the Minister confirm what discussions Ministers have had with their US counterparts on this point? Increasingly, it seems that the United States acts and Britain finds out later. When major decisions are made, Britain is not in the room. Has the Prime Minister even spoken with President Trump since the US action in Venezuela? Perhaps the Minister could update the House. In the same vein, can she confirm what conversations the Prime Minister has had with our European partners since the US action? I know that they are meeting and doing good work today on Ukraine, and I cannot believe that this issue has not been discussed, at least in the margins. The security of the British people can be served only if the UK shows leadership, working proactively and constructively with our international partners. The Government were slow to respond in this case; the PM did not seem even to have an opinion on it for many hours. If we are to protect the interests of the British people, we must be a leader on the world stage. In this case, the Government failed to provide that leadership. That said, I welcome the Prime Minister’s clear statement on Greenland yesterday. It is good to have at least some clarity from the Government although, again, it could have come sooner. On the question of the US rhetoric towards Greenland, in the other place the Foreign Secretary said that “Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark … The future of Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and Danes, and no one else”.—[Official Report, Commons, 5/1/26; col. 76.] I agree with her, but if the future of Greenland is solely a matter for the Greenlanders and for the Danes, as she correctly said, then, using the Government’s own logic, the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory is surely a matter for the Chagossians and the British people. Can the Minister please explain how the Government’s approach to Greenland’s sovereignty is consistent with their position on the Chagos Islands?