Natural Disasters: Community Resilience appears here as a parliamentary thread from the Commons Chamber on 25 Jun 2026, with 3 speakers contributing 6 speeches.

#Natural Disasters, #Community Resilience, #Telecoms Resilience, #Digital Switchover, #Critical National Infrastructure, #Cornwall, #Isles of Scilly, #Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, #Venezuela

MPs asked what the Church of England is doing for Christians in Palestine, focusing on Natalie Abu Dayyeh from Birzeit, whose detention bishops say breaches the Fourth Geneva Convention; Marsha De Cordova said church leaders condemn attacks on Palestinians, oppose settlement expansion and administrative detention, and are calling for detainees to be released.

Ministers said country-by-country aid spending will be published by July and overseas posts will get three-year budgets, as peers challenged how reduced UK aid will protect priorities including women and girls, HIV, Ebola response, biodiversity and support through UNRWA.

Yvette Cooper said the UK had imposed a fourth round of sanctions over settler violence and was considering further action, but she stopped short of committing to a ban on trade with illegal settlements despite repeated calls from MPs.

Ministers said the UK has committed £26.9 million to help contain Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and support African-led monitoring, vaccines and rapid response, while MPs pressed whether aid cuts and weaker early warning systems could leave the UK and others more exposed to future pandemics.

Yvette Cooper said the closure had raised fuel prices and damaged the global economy, and that the UK would support the US-Iran memorandum while working with France on a defensive naval mission to protect shipping and clear mines; MPs pressed ministers on Iran’s leverage, alternative supply routes and action against the IRGC.

Ministers sought approval for tougher Russia sanctions covering refined oil products, LNG services, uranium, exports and ship restrictions; MPs broadly supported the package but pressed for proof that temporary licences ending by 1 January 2027, shadow-fleet enforcement and Northern Ireland rules will not leave routes for Russia to evade the bans.

Peers pressed the Government to do more than offer sympathy after the 8 June quake, asking whether Britain should send medical teams, ship support and disaster experts to help the Philippines, where thousands have been displaced and hospitals have been damaged. Ministers said the UK was ready to provide humanitarian help if asked, would keep the situation under review, and would continue backing the Bangsamoro peace process and wider development work in the country.

Peers tested the Government on how to contain the conflict across the Middle East, from keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and stopping Iran’s nuclear programme to getting aid into Gaza, supporting Lebanon’s army against Hezbollah and tightening action on Israeli settlement expansion. The debate also exposed sharp disagreement over Israel’s right to defend itself, the two-state solution, and how far the UK should go in sanctions, diplomatic engagement and pressure on the Palestinian Authority.