25/06/2026 | 16:10:09 I thank Ms Aysu BANKOĞLU for her report and I will say at the start that access to justice for women should be a lot more straightforward than it is. And while I sympathise with a lot of what she says, I cannot support the resolution as it stands, not least because of Paragraph 16 which seeks the legal recognition of the concept of gender apartheid. Now, Ms Rian VOGELS mentioned the Istanbul Convention. I am pleased that the UK finally ratified this in 2022. But today, I am focusing on the... 25/06/2026 | 13:15:41 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) In the last two years, the number of people receiving British citizenship has gone up by just over half a million people, about 350,000 of those through naturalisation. The total number of people in the asylum system in the United Kingdom (UK) has not been published since summer 2024, but to give a sense, there are about 100,000 asylum seekers receiving state financial support. While the issue of people coming into the UK illegally by getting... 24/06/2026 | 19:08:11 "Ensuring sustainable food security is essential for maintaining global stability. By solving the issue of access to food and overcoming hunger as a tool of war, the international community can build resilience, and promote sustainable development and long-lasting peace." These are the closing words of the resolution first tabled by our rapporteur Ms Larysa BILOZIR back in October 2024 that led to this report. While I think the broader issue on food security in crisis is well covered in the... 23/06/2026 | 10:32:52 Good morning, Mr Alain BERSET. When you visited the UK last month, you suggested that if the United Kingdom (UK) left the European Convention of Human Rights, it would be a bad signal for Ukraine, which I found disappointing as it was the UK led by Conservative Prime Minister Boris JOHNSON that was first to respond. And, of course, we still stand by Ukraine today. Now, it's 10 years ago today that the people of the UK were asked whether they wanted to stay in the European Union (EU). I voted... 23/04/2026 | 10:37:01 Thank you, Madam President, As President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY said in 2023 in The Hague, “there can be no peace without justice”. Over a quarter of a million crimes due to the aggression of Russia and its various agents have been recorded, of which over 220 000 are war crimes. We must maintain our determination to hold Russia to account for its illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine, and to ensure that justice prevails. I am very proud that the British government has been a leader on... 21/04/2026 | 20:39:29 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I am particularly concerned about people in our Jewish communities right now. Attacks on synagogues. People feeling intimidated walking down the street. Can people wear the Star of David openly? Anti-semitism is rife and I know that we, together, condemn that. I fear for Christians in various countries around the world. I think now of the hundreds of girls and women abducted in Nigeria just a few months ago. Many are still missing. That was... 21/04/2026 | 19:55:05 Judges at every level should be respected by default. And the role of appointing judges to the European Court of Human Rights is actually the most important role that this Parliamentary Assembly undertakes. But in addition to the qualities highlighted in the report, I strongly believe it is essential that candidates for European Court of Human Rights should be practising judges. Not people who've just done it in theory, done academic studies, but people who've actually been in courts and... 21/04/2026 | 10:33:40 Violence or threat of violence risks politicians acting freely, going about their business freely in both their professional and private lives. I recall that within just a few months of becoming an elected member, another MP was stabbed in their surgery while meeting constituents. That significantly changed how I acted as an MP in regards to managing open contact with constituents, which brought criticism locally, but the challenge is, you never know. That was reinforced by the murder of two... 28/01/2026 | 10:45:37 There is much in this resolution and recommendations to support, including the participation of youth in the Council of Europe and the Assembly, and to recognise youth civil society, volunteering and community engagement. We should consider further activity even in this Assembly. For example, when committees form, instead of the oldest member chairing at the start, why not make it the youngest member? In the UK, uniformed services, whether the Scouts, Girls’ Brigade or Army Cadet Force, are...