Readers will be familiar with Westminster Hall. Originally built in the 1100s, it was rebuilt in stone after the old one burnt down in the late 14th century. It is a huge indoor space and is used for great moments in British history. The Queen lay in state in the run up to the funeral earlier this year, and since I have been Wyre Forest’s MP, great people such as Barak Obama have addressed both Houses of Parliament.
This week it was opened up for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
It was a fitting tribute to this extraordinary man, leading a nation fighting to hold back the supposed might of the Russian Army. In a couple of weeks’ time, it will be the first anniversary of this illegal invasion. I was told recently that the death toll numbers some 300 people every day. That, of course, includes civilians attacked illegally by Russian missiles and bombs.
We are doing everything we can to help. Ukrainian troops are training to use the Challenger II tanks in the UK before deployment of 14 into Ukraine. Moreover, it is the UK government – first under Boris Johnson and then under Rishi Sunak – that is leading the political fightback. Importantly, it is our prime ministers that have successfully urged the western world to support the Ukrainians, with financial and equipment support. Of course, we draw the line at committing armed forces to the war as this will escalate it from a local issue to a NATO against Russia war. That would be bad.
We will continue to support Ukraine. There is unanimity across parliament behind the Ukrainian people, as we saw this week in Westminster Hall.
And of course, we will be supporting the efforts to help those who have been affected by the horrific earthquakes along the Turkish Syrian border. The images of the thousands and thousands of people whose lives have been devastated by the movement of the globe’s tectonic plates is truly heartrending.
The response has been politically trickier as those in North Syria are in what amounts to a war zone, hampering our ability to respond. But it is important to always remember, irrespective of a man made catastrophe, or a natural disaster, the UK will always step up to the mark to support anyone who is in need. That is something we should be proud of.