Westminster Diary
IT WAS a privilege to listen to President Zelensky when he addressed Parliament on Tuesday, and I would like to pay tribute to him and to the Ukrainian people.
The Putin regime’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is a very grave attack not only on the Ukrainian people, but also on sovereignty, democracy, freedom and the rule of law.
I fully support providing military assistance to Ukraine.
We must provide all possible political, economic, and practical support. Labour is resolutely committed to the security of our NATO allies.
I would like to see an immediate ceasefire, and the full and complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
President Putin must feel the full force of sanctions now.
More than a week into the war the Government has sanctioned only 11 Oligarchs and we are falling behind the EU and US.
We cannot let the Government’s incompetence and delays allow dozens of Putin-linked oligarchs to run away with billions in loot.
We must close this sanctions gap and tighten the law so we can move faster and harder against the cronies tied to Putin’s regime.
The Government must accelerate the clean-up of dirty money that for too long has damaged our economy and our democracy. We need to crack the shell companies and lift the veil of secrecy on UK property.
We can’t freeze the assets of people if we don’t know where those assets are.
In addition we need to take diplomatic action to build the widest possible opposition to this war.
Putin needs to feel pressure not only from the West, but from countries across the globe. Russia must withdraw its forces and engage in diplomacy in good faith.
I also hope we can help amplify the voices against war in both Russia and Belarus, from influencers on social media, to Orthodox Church
leaders on the ground.
We should be backing the BBC World Service, so objective news sources can reach the largest possible audience in Russia.
I’m deeply concerned about war crimes, Russia must abide by the laws of armed conflict.
But we have all seen horrific violence that appears to target civilians. We must gather the evidence so anyone responsible for a war crime is held to account and support the ICC’s investigation.
The UK must also step up our humanitarian support, getting crucial supplies into the country and to cities like Kyiv while we still can and supporting neighbouring states who
are hosting the majority of refugees.
Most want to stay close to home, especially those who have had to leave relatives behind, but the UK must play its part to help people seeking support and safety in our country too.
The Labour Party’s commitment to NATO is unshakeable – and the alliance has strongly condemned Putin’s actions.
We must move in lockstep with our NATO allies, and take steps to reinforce NATO members on the Eastern flank.
It is right that Britain has provided support to Ukraine to defend itself - and this should continue.