Kirsty McNeill MP: speeches 2026

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Speeches

8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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The United States is and will remain our closest ally. We have been clear with it, we have been clear with this House, and we have been clear most of all with the people of the Falkland Islands that the Falkland Islands are British.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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I would like to thank my hon. Friend for his service. We are confident that the situation that we have in place with defensive capability is adequate for the threats faced.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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The hon. Gentleman is completely right that we are in a volatile world, but one thing is absolutely unchanging: the United Kingdom’s position on the Falkland Islands, which is of long standing. The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory and will remain so for as long as the islanders wish. As I stated in my opening remarks, we want a constructive relationship with Argentina, but we are absolutely clear, and they are in no doubt, about our position on this question. On defence spending more broadly, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor remain committed to fully funding the defence investment plan and to meeting our NATO commitment of 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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Yes, of course, the right hon. Gentleman should feel free to pass on to Mr Moody the view of this House and of the British Government that it is part of the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination that they may develop their own natural resources. We stand four-square behind them in doing so, and we stand four-square behind the companies that are involved in doing so, too.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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There can be no doubt in any capital in the world and, most importantly, in the Falkland Islands that the Falkland Islands are British. Their right to self-determination is absolute, and the UK Government stand as a guarantor of exactly that.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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I share the right hon. Lady’s conviction that the sacrifices of British armed forces personnel should never be forgotten in relation to this matter. I share, too, her desire to see the UK Government stand up unequivocally for the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination, which is exactly what we have been doing. We are in regular ministerial and senior official engagement with Argentina, which is why I can say with such conviction that it is in absolutely no doubt—and no Member of this House should be in any doubt—about the UK Government’s position. The future of the Falkland Islands is for the Falkland Islanders to determine, and nobody else.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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We completely and utterly reject the characterisation that my right hon. Friend describes. The UK supports the rights of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit, because that is an integral part of their self-determination. The decision by the Falkland Islands Government to pursue hydrocarbon production is a commercial decision for them to make alongside the commercial companies involved.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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I can reassure my hon. Friend that work is ongoing across Government to ensure that everyone in the British overseas territories retains the full support of the UK Government. We are in regular dialogue with their representatives, and of course we continue to ensure that their rights to health and education and the other matters that he mentioned are uppermost in our minds at all times.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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The hon. Gentleman will be aware that it is an integral part of a country’s self-determination that it can develop its own natural resources for its own economic benefit. That will be a decision for the Falkland Islanders. Indeed, Falkland Islands representatives have already made decisions about exactly that matter.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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We are in ongoing conversation with our closest ally, as Members will appreciate, and the United States is crystal clear about our position. The right hon. Gentleman mentioned that we need to invest in our defence capabilities, and of course that is one of the primary responsibilities of the UK Government. I would gently remind him of the situation that we inherited. It is this Government that have made commitments to invest strongly in our armed forces, and we are proud to have done so.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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All Members of the House will know that we are in ongoing dialogue with our European partners, and, crucially, we are committed to investing in our own defence. That is why this Government have made such strong commitments to continue defence investment.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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I join my hon. Friend in remembering Lance Corporal Thomas. His constituents should be reassured, as indeed should everyone in the Falkland Islands, that we are absolutely committed to Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination, we are committed to their defence and we are committed to them remaining British.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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I pay tribute to everyone serving on HMS Medway and, indeed, all our armed forces personnel, and offer them our unwavering commitment to their protection and the protection of all British territories overseas.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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We are confident that our defensive capabilities in the south Atlantic are equal to the task.
8 Sept 2026 · Falkland Islands: Sovereignty · Hansard source
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As the hon. Gentleman would expect, we do not go into operational detail about our defence capabilities, but I can reassure the House that the Government are confident that our defence capabilities are as he would hope and as we need them to be.
1 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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We are working closely with international partners to support the African-led response. We acted early to allocate an initial £26.9 million to fund the immediate response in the DRC and Uganda and to support the World Health Organisation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in co-ordinating the regional response. I am pleased to announce to the House a further £51.8 million, which takes our total funding to £78.7 million. We are also taking a leading role internationally. I met Dr Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC, in Addis Ababa last week, and I will discuss this issue with ministerial counterparts ahead of the UN General Assembly later this month.
1 Sept 2026 · Climate Change: International Partners · Hansard source
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Tackling the climate and nature crisis is an urgent priority for us all, as recent extreme wildfires and droughts have only served to reinforce. The UK is working with international partners to drive progress, whether through our forest partnerships with countries such as Brazil and Indonesia, or through our global clean power alliance to accelerate the worldwide transition to clean energy. The Foreign Secretary will act as the UK governor to the World Bank, taking personal leadership of the UK’s engagement on development and climate finance, and later this month he will also convene Foreign Ministers at the UN to address climate security challenges.
1 Sept 2026 · Climate Change: International Partners · Hansard source
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We are committed to peatland restoration, which is critical to tackling the climate and nature crisis and meeting our Environment Act targets, as my hon. Friend laid out. The UK supports international peatland conservation through programmes such as the Darwin Initiative. Darwin projects are, for example, helping communities in Peru and Indonesia to manage peatland ecosystems sustainably. Many tropical forests are also part of peatland ecosystems, and the UK has a long-standing portfolio of work supporting them. Of course, the Department continues to work closely with DEFRA to protect and restore important ecosystems.
1 Sept 2026 · Climate Change: International Partners · Hansard source
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I very much agree with the hon. Gentleman: climate change is a common enemy, and we have to face it across this House, across this country and across the world. We are committed to working with everybody who is taking climate action seriously.
1 Sept 2026 · Climate Change: International Partners · Hansard source
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I sympathise deeply with my hon. Friend’s constituents, who have been subject to such appalling disruption over the summer. We are very committed to strengthening international co-operation to anticipate, prevent and respond to climate-related risks of all sorts, including extreme weather. The French Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Secretary have recently reaffirmed their commitment to expand early warning initiatives, including through the climate risk and early warning systems programme, to strengthen protection for the most climate-vulnerable countries and populations, as well as for her constituents.
1 Sept 2026 · Climate Change: International Partners · Hansard source
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I could not agree with the hon. Lady more. It is very important that people trust the information they receive. She will have noticed the alert that was sent out across England, which was a sign of how seriously this Government take their commitment to communicate with the public responsibly.
1 Sept 2026 · Draft Inter-American Investment Corporation (Further Payments to Capital Stock) (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for her comments and reflections. Starting with her question about financial years, the new capital paid in will be spread across seven years, starting in 2025-26. She also asked about the conditions attached to it, and I will reflect on those when I talk about the particular areas we have pressed for prioritisation. I should say, as I did in my opening, that this institution has already innovated in response to pressure and reflections from the G20. We were delighted to have had that influence at the outset. We have pressed for a new focus on climate, on supporting Caribbean small island developing states, including the overseas territories, and on vulnerable populations. The right hon. Lady asked for any reflections on the development impacts that we anticipate. I reflected on those in my opening remarks, and I will not repeat them now. On increasing and securing the UK’s influence, we have secured greater board representation for the UK, which is always something we seek to do. IDB Invest is a unique institution at the forefront of private sector investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Invest aims to dedicate 60% of its investments to climate and green finance, and it is also supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, empowering women, expanding access to essential services and driving innovation. Through its new originate-to-share business model, IDB Invest is scaling up its impact, mobilising capital at unprecedented levels and helping to deliver sustainable growth across the region. I hope and trust that the Committee will support this order. Question put and agreed to.
1 Sept 2026 · Draft Inter-American Investment Corporation (Further Payments to Capital Stock) (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Inter-American Investment Corporation (Further Payments to Capital Stock) (Amendment) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. The draft order was laid before the House on 16 June. It will permit the UK Government to make financial contributions to the Inter-American Investment Corporation, up to the stated values. Allow me briefly to take the Committee through the background and purpose of the draft order. The draft order permits the UK Government to make further payments to the Inter-American Investment Corporation, also known as IDB Invest, which is the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, also known as the IDB. The IDB is the largest source of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the group’s overall financing reaching about $35 billion in 2025 alone. The IDB is a trusted UK partner and is instrumental to the achievement of regional objectives on sustainable development, action on climate change, biodiversity protection and pandemic and disaster preparedness. The G20 has called on multilateral development banks to adopt new business models to stretch balance sheets, increase lending and take on more risk to support smaller businesses. In response, IDB Invest has committed to implementing a new business model. IDB Invest will shift to an originate-to-share approach to transfer its investments to the private sector, recycling funds and enabling greater impact through increased scale. IDB Invest’s innovative approach to development is why, together with other shareholders, the UK agreed to a $3.5 billion capitalisation package, to allow IDB Invest to more than double the support it provides the region from about $8 billion to more than $20 billion annually. The UK is a strong proponent of this new model, and of the leadership and innovation showcased by IDB Invest. In 2025, the UK authorised an increase in its shareholding in the corporation from 0.22% to 1.5%, subject to shares being available, for a total value of up to $106 million. When the IDB Invest share subscription period closed in March 2026, more shares became available than initially anticipated. This presents the UK with a strategic opportunity to further increase our shareholding in IDB Invest beyond the level previously authorised. By investing an additional $25 million, the UK can deepen its influence with the institution and strengthen its overall position. Let me highlight a few outcomes that IDB Invest has committed to delivering by 2030 through its new business model and capital increase. It will finance 2.5 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which will in turn support 9.5 million jobs. It will directly support more than 300,000 women in gaining access to finance, jobs, training and entrepreneurship opportunities. It will support 1.6 million of the region’s poor and vulnerable people in gaining access to services, opportunities and resources. It will improve access to agricultural services and investments for 44,000 farmers. It will dedicate at least 60% of its investments to climate and green finance. It will reduce 3.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and generate 1,400 MW from renewable resources for new clean energy projects. In addition, IDB Invest will continue to share lessons learned on the implementation of its business model with other development finance institutions to encourage more investment into the private sector globally. This represents excellent value for money. For every £1 that the UK invests, £5 of development-related assets are generated, taking us a step closer to achieving the region’s sustainable development goals. IDB Invest is instrumental in achieving UK objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is among our closest and most important development partners. The financial contributions covered by this draft order will support the UK’s development and foreign policy objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting private sector development and sustainable economic growth. I commend the draft order to the Committee.
15 Jul 2026 · Young People · Hansard source
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The people of Scotland were given a choice on our constitutional future, and we gave an emphatic answer that we believe that we are part of a stronger United Kingdom.
15 Jul 2026 · Young People · Hansard source
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It is absolutely no surprise to me that a representative of the Scottish National party does not want to talk about its own record on young people. Shamefully, youth worklessness is much more intense across Scotland—including the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and mine—than it is elsewhere in the UK, because the SNP Scottish Government simply have not invested in young people’s futures.

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