IAN Blackford has rebuked Boris Johnson for claiming his government is providing global leadership just hours after it voted down anti-genocide legislation.
The SNP Westminster leader took the Tory leader to task over the rejection of an amendment to the Trade Bill designed to outlaw deals with countries involved in mass killing.
It came during a Prime Minister’s Questions session beset by technical problems, in which Tory MPs were caught laughing when Blackford was cut off due to a technical fault. The SNP MP was also interrupted by the Speaker, seemingly for exceeding time restraints on questions.
Johnson, meanwhile, had to be told off once again for incorrectly referring to the SNP as the “Scottish nationalist party”.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson rebuked by Ian Blackford for getting SNP's name wrong
Blackford began his questioning by accusing the Prime Minister of “cosying up” to Donald Trump.
He also pointed out comments from Theresa May, who slammed Johnson for abandoning Britain’s “position of global moral leadership” by threatening to break international law and by cutting foreign aid.
Blackford said: “Turning the page on the dark chapter of Trump’s presidency isn’t solely the responsibility of president Joe Biden.
“It is also the responsibility of those in the Tory party including the PM who cosied up to Donald Trump and his callous world view.
“This morning the former PM, the member for Maidenhead [May] accused the current Prime Minister of abandoning moral responsibility on the world stage by slashing international aid.
“So if today’s to be a new chapter, if today is a new start, will the Prime Minister begin by reversing his cruel policy of cutting international aid for the world’s poorest?”
Johnson insisted that Britain remains a global leader.
He replied: “I think it’s very important the Prime Minister of the UK has the best possible relationship with the president of the US, that’s part of the job description, as I think all sensible members opposite would acknowledge, and when it comes to global leadership on the world stage, this country is embarking on a quite phenomenal year … with the G7, with COP26 and we’ve already led the world with the Gavi summit for global vaccination raising $8.8 billion.
“It was the UK, the first major country in the world to set a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 … we’ll work with president Biden to secure the transatlantic alliance and Nato, which, of course, the Scottish nationalist party would unbundle, well, I think they would.”
The Speaker intervened to remind Johnson of his “memory lapse” in relation to the SNP’s name.
When the SNP Westminster leader was invited to reply, he was cut off by a technical glitch which affected several other parliamentarians who contributed virtually.
The interruption was met with hysterics from the Tory benches.
READ MORE: PMQs: Westminster double standards are clear from what Speaker lets slide
A few minutes later, Blackford was able to hit back at the Prime Minister.
He said: “People would find the Prime Minister's claims about the UK's global leadership a bit more believable if, last night, he hadn't ordered his MPs to vote down an amendment to the Trade Bill that would have stopped trade deals with countries who commit genocide.
“Mr Speaker, genocide isn't a matter of history – it is happening in our world right now. The international community has stood idly by as Uighir Muslim men, women and children are forced into concentration camps in China's Xinjiang province.”
Despite being interrupted by the Speaker, Blackford was able to ask: “Is the Prime Minister prepared to follow that lead? Is he prepared to stand up today and clearly state that genocide is being committed against the Uighir population in China?”
READ MORE: 'Morally bankrupt' Scottish Tories vote against anti-genocide trade law
The Prime Minister said what is happening to Uighurs is “utterly abhorrent” but stopped short of saying genocide.
“As [Blackford] knows, the attribution of genocide is a judicial matter,” he said.
The row comes after MPs voted down an amendment to the Trade Bill primarily directed at protecting Uighur Muslims in China.
The proposal, made by peers in the House of Commons, would have forced ministers to withdraw from any free trade agreement with any country which the High Court rules is committing mass killings.
It was backed by Labour, the SNP and dozens of Tory rebels, with Boris Johnson’s working majority of 87 dwindled to just 11.
However, the move was rejected by 319 votes to 308, with all six Scottish Tory MPs standing by the UK Government.
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