Question
It is good to be back. Given the accelerating rate of Arctic sea ice melt, we are not many years away from an ice-free summer in the Arctic, with huge implications for sea levels, ocean currents and weather systems, and growing commercial pressures for exploitation in the Arctic. Having been the Minister with responsibility for the British Antarctic Survey, I am delighted again to be chairing the APPG for the polar regions and to have joined the Minister at the Arctic Circle Assembly. Does she agree that in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, we are on the frontline of not only some very important science for global planetary sustainability, but geo-diplomacy and technology, with an increasing wild west, which this country has a major role to play in helping to regulate and convene good players in?
Answer
I thank the hon. Member for his important question. I know that he has a long history of speaking up about these issues. He is absolutely correct: shifting geopolitical and climate dynamics in the Arctic and Antarctic are intensifying strategic interests in new economic opportunities in the polar regions. Those bring with them challenges and pose risks to regional governance and to UK interests overseas and at home, including challenges to our security and stability, domestic resilience and supply chains. That is why we have updated our Arctic policy framework, and it is why I urge Members across the House to join the hon. Member’s APPG for the polar regions, so that we have cross-party consensus on this work.
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply opens by agreeing with the question's premise and points to the updated Arctic policy framework as a relevant mechanism. It does not explain what role the UK plays in regulating or convening Arctic and Antarctic actors, and the appeal it makes concerns domestic cross-party consensus rather than international engagement. The answer is mostly hedged and general, so the person who asked would likely need to follow up for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the Minister agree that the UK has a major role to play in helping to regulate and convene good players in the Arctic and Antarctic? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply opens with "He is absolutely correct", which formally endorses the premise, but the substance addresses shifting geopolitical dynamics and risks rather than the UK's role in regulating or convening Arctic and Antarctic actors. The updated Arctic policy framework (statement 5) is a relevant mechanism, but the reply never says what role the UK plays in regulating or convening international partners, and the APPG appeal (statement 6) concerns domestic cross-party consensus rather than international convening. |