Question
Moscow ships stalk our cables, Tehran’s agents seek to assassinate on our soil, and last week the Pentagon declared Confucius institutes a threat to our national security. In stark contrast, the powers I secured to allow these weapons of the Chinese Communist party to be closed here in the UK were scrapped by this Government. Does the Foreign Secretary think that Washington has got it wrong, and if not, will the powers be reinstated and deployed? While he is at it, will he expel every Iranian official with links to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and bring our allies together to freeze Russian and Belarusian tourist visas to protect us from their use to attack our country?
Answer
I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. She talks eloquently about the threats we face from across the world, whether that is Russia, Iran or China. It is incredibly important, and this Government will be absolutely resolute in countering these threats whatever form they take. Frankly—this is why this question is so relevant—the threats to our national life have changed. They are not simply the threats we are used to from the past; hybrid warfare is the modern threat, and we will absolutely counter it.29% vibes
Verdict: RED (6/100)
The reply addresses almost none of the five parts of the question. It does not discuss the Pentagon's assessment of Confucius Institutes or whether closure powers over CCP-linked entities will be reinstated, does not mention Iran, MOIS, or the expulsion of Iranian officials, and does not address visas for Russian or Belarusian tourists. The only partial response is a general pledge to counter threats 'whatever form they take', which does not say whether closure powers will be used. The person who asked would most likely need to submit a follow-up to get any specific answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the Foreign Secretary think the US Pentagon has got it wrong in declaring Confucius Institutes a threat to national security? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply never mentions Confucius Institutes or the Pentagon's assessment, and gives no view on whether that assessment was right. |
| Will the Government reinstate the powers to close Chinese Communist Party-linked entities such as Confucius Institutes in the UK? | Not Addressed | Generic | Statement 2 only notes that the asker spoke about threats from Russia, Iran and China; it says nothing about reinstating closure powers over CCP-linked entities. |
| Will the Government deploy those powers to close such entities? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | Statement 3 is a general pledge to counter threats 'whatever form they take', which gestures at action but never says whether closure powers will be used against entities such as Confucius Institutes. |
| Will the Government expel every Iranian official with links to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply refers only generally to changing threats and never mentions Iran, MOIS, or whether Iranian officials will be expelled. |
| Will the Government bring allies together to freeze visas for Russian and Belarusian tourists? | Not Addressed | Generic | Nothing in the reply addresses visas, Russian or Belarusian tourists, or coordination with allies on visa policy. |