LOCAL MP URGES FOREIGN SECRETARY TO PRIORITISE HUMAN RIGHTS AND CLIMATE JUSTICE
Highland MP Drew Hendry has written to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, James Cleverly MP, to highlight what he believes should be the Foreign Office’s current priorities.
Mr Hendry, who is the SNP’s Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs at Westminster, identified establishing a special tribunal to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine and holding the Israeli Government to account over its forced evictions in the Occupied Palestinian territories as two of his key asks.
Commenting, Drew Hendry MP said:
“Leading from the front to safeguard human rights and ensure global climate commitments are met will be at the heart of an independent Scotland’s foreign policy agenda, it’s only right then that as part of the UK for the moment we encourage Westminster to adopt the same approach.
“Throughout my time in this role the SNP will push for the UK to back calls from France, the Netherlands, and the European Commission to set up a tribunal to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine and adopt mechanisms to hold leaders to account for the crime perpetrated during this unprovoked war on Ukraine’s people.
“So too must we see an end to forced displacements, arbitrary detentions and illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories, and hold those to account in the International Criminal Court.
“An independent Scotland will strive to be a force for good in the world, providing an example of how a small progressive nation can work constructively with its neighbours to ensure global cooperation on the issues that we collectively face.
“At present the UK is at odds with that approach, instead seeking distance from our neighbours and allies through policies like Brexit, and domestic policies like the Rwanda scheme and the reopening of coal mines that contradict the efforts to uphold human rights abroad and tackle the climate crisis the world faces.
“The SNP will continue to strive to force the UK government to rethink its ways and adopt a different approach but as we’ve seen throughout Europe – small independent nations can have a large impact and Scotland will be no different when we achieve our independence.”
ENDS