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Lord David BLENCATHRA (United Kingdom, ECPA)

Photo member

Substitute
Member of the House of Lords
Conservative

House of Lords
GB - SW1A 0PW - London
United Kingdom

www.davidmaclean.com

Working language: English

Declarations of interests:
2026 , 2025 , 2024 , 2023 , 2022

Declarations of interest regarding election observations (if applicable)

Latest news

24/05/2026 - Monitoring Türkiye: opposition must not be silenced through force or judicial pressure 27/04/2026 - Monitoring Open letter by rapporteurs of European institutions on the situation of local democracy in Türkiye 29/09/2025 - Monitoring PACE monitors express serious concern about ‘the future of democracy in Türkiye’ 23/06/2025 - Monitoring Statement by the PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Türkiye following their visit to the country 04/06/2025 - Monitoring PACE monitors to make fact-finding visit to Türkiye

Mandates

In the political groups

  • Member: European Conservatives, Patriots & Affiliates since 03/02/2025
  • Member: European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance from 05/10/2019 to 03/02/2025
  • Member: European Conservatives Group from 27/11/2015 to 04/10/2019

In the Assembly

  • since 27/11/2015 Substitute - United Kingdom

In the committee(s) and sub-committee(s)

  • Alternate ECPA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (since 03/02/2025)
  • Member: Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (since 30/09/2024)
  • Alternate EC/DA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 30/09/2024 to 03/02/2025)
  • Full Member EC/DA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 29/04/2022 to 26/01/2023)
  • Alternate EC/DA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 05/10/2019 to 29/04/2022)
  • Alternate EC: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 24/01/2019 to 04/10/2019)
  • Second Vice-Chairperson: Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (from 21/01/2019 to 26/01/2020)
  • Alternate EC: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 23/01/2017 to 20/01/2019)
  • Full Member: Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (since 27/11/2015)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on the Western Balkans (from 05/03/2024 to 28/01/2025)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on External Relations (since 23/01/2023)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on External Relations (from 27/01/2016 to 13/12/2017)
  • Alternate of Mr Stephen GETHINS (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the Western Balkans (from 28/01/2025 to 27/01/2026)

Interventions

Last speeches

27/01/2026 | 17:44:50 Mr Vice-President, This evil war of aggression threatens not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe. There can be no lasting peace in Europe if the Kremlin's campaign succeeds. Peace built on the acquiescence to territorial conquest will be a fragile, dangerous illusion. To secure a durable peace, we must ensure that Russia does not win. That means enabling Ukraine to prevail on the battlefield. So any negotiated settlement is founded on justice, territorial integrity and accountability. Now... 27/01/2026 | 16:15:44 President, I congratulate Mr Damien COTTIER on his excellent report, Elections in times of crisis, because it sets out a clear practical roadmap to strengthen legal clarity for emergencies, bolster operational preparedness, protect electoral infrastructure from foreign interference and cyber threats, adapt and preserve robust election observation and build long-term resilience across the electoral cycle. Colleagues, These are not abstract ideals. They are urgent, actionable priorities and Mr... 26/01/2026 | 17:17:37 Madam Vice-President and colleagues, I'm presenting the annual report on the Assembly's election observation activities in 2025 in my capacity as Chair of the Parliamentary Alliance for Free and Fair Elections. In 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe participated in 11 pre-electoral and election observation missions in five countries: Kosovo, Albania, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and the Kyrgyz Republic. Our delegations remain strong and diverse. Women's participation... 01/10/2025 | 17:26:02 Mister President, I congratulate the rapporteur on this excellent report. This is a rare win for our Council. The magic words are in Article 2, and I quote, "The international claims commission for Ukraine is hereby established as an independent body within the institutional framework of the Council of Europe." This Assembly invented the concept of an international claims commission; we set up the Register of Damage, which can be transferred to the commission when fully operational. And we... 30/09/2025 | 11:18:33 Mr Chairman, May I begin by saying how much I, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) and election observation missions will miss the sage advice of our esteemed colleague, Mr Stefan SCHENNACH. During our visit to Türkiye in June, Mr Stefan SCHENNACH showed his deep knowledge of and concern for the political prisoners we met: Osman KAVALA, Ekrem İMAMOĞLU and Figen YÜKSEKDAĞ ŞENOĞLU. Colleagues, They felt...

Activities

Reports and committee opinions

08/04/2025 | Doc. 16151 | Report The arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul and the state of democracy and human rights in Türkiye 31/03/2021 | Doc. 15253 | Report Urgent need for electoral reform in Belarus

Motions, Written Declarations, Questions

17/04/2026 | Doc. 16378 | Motion for a resolution Out-of-country voting 23/01/2026 | Doc. 16329 | Written declaration The mischaracterisation of democratic Taiwan as regards the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 22/01/2026 | Doc. 16324 | Motion for a resolution Designating Antifa as a terrorist organisation and proscribing the use of its identifying marks and symbols 08/09/2025 | Doc. 16241 | Motion for a recommendation Need to protect election observers 25/06/2025 | Doc. 16213 | Motion for a resolution Regular working relationships with Taiwan

Votes on adopted texts

27/01/2026 | Doc. 16297, vote on the draft text for recommendation Elections in times of crisis 27/01/2026 | Doc. 16297, vote on the draft text for resolution Elections in times of crisis 25/06/2025 | Doc. 16210, vote on the draft text for resolution Global peace under threat: halting the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and addressing the wider conflict in the Middle East 09/04/2025 | Doc. 16151, vote on the draft text for resolution The arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul and the state of democracy and human rights in Türkiye 27/01/2025 | Doc. 16086, vote on the draft text for resolution Progress of the Assembly’s monitoring procedure (January – December 2024)