Minister ‘pushing for peace’ in Middle East attended jazz club event, MPs hear
MP Ellie Chowns was told Middle East minister Hamish Falconer did not reply to her urgent question as he was ‘in the region pushing for a peace deal’.
A Government minister has faced questions over his attendance at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club after MPs were told he was in the Middle East “pushing for a peace deal”.
Green Party MP Ellie Chowns was informed Middle East minister Hamish Falconer did not reply to her urgent question on Gaza in the House of Commons as he was “in the region pushing for a peace deal”.
But the MP for North Herefordshire has since questioned why Mr Falconer also attended a Labour Party networking lunch at the Soho venue on the same day.
The SME4Labour annual lunch took place on Tuesday and the group’s X account published photographs at 3.19pm of Mr Falconer on stage addressing attendees.
Ms Chowns’ urgent question took place in the House of Commons from 12.39pm on Tuesday, with Foreign Office minister Catherine West replying for the Government.
On Monday, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published photos of Mr Falconer in the country for talks and the UK minister issued a social media post on Wednesday about his trip to Ankara.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ms Chowns raised a point of order on the issue.
She told the Commons: “Yesterday during my urgent question on Gaza, the minister responding (Ms West) said that the minister responsible (Mr Falconer) could not answer the question himself because he was in the region pushing for a peace deal.
“However, I’ve since received a communication from the press with evidence suggesting that he was at a Labour Party networking lunch at Ronnie Scott’s at the time.
“Could you advise, madam Deputy Speaker, on whether the record should be corrected if it is shown not to be correct?”
Deputy Speaker Judith Cummins, in her reply, said: “The chair is not responsible for the content of ministerial answers but she has put her point on the record and there is a procedure for ministers to correct the record if they wish to do so.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Due to ministerial travel, minister West covered parliamentary business for Foreign Office issues relating to the Middle East on Tuesday.
“Minister Falconer landed from Ankara at 11.45am and would not have been able to attend the urgent question at 12.30am.”
Mr Falconer, writing on X in reply to criticism from shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel, said: “As you know: given I wasn’t out the airport until after 12 following talks in Turkey, it wasn’t possible to get to the HoC (House of Commons) to answer at 1230.
“I spoke briefly at an event only after the UQ had finished and on my way back to the FCDO to meet those affected by the conflict.”
