GAY RIGHTS IN BRUNEI

That this House notes with alarm that stoning to death as the punishment for homosexual sex came into force on 3 April 2019 in Brunei; further notes that this is part of an enactment of the Sharia penal code formally published in 2013 that also includes stoning for adultery and amputation for theft; is appalled by this barbaric and inhumane violation of human rights; notes that Brunei became a member of the Commonwealth in 1984; further notes the Ministerial visit in August 2018 by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the visit of the Trade Envoy Paul Scully in November 2018; believes that LGBT rights are human rights and the protection of those rights should be a central element of UK foreign and trade policy; calls on the Government to use its position as a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to propose the suspension of Brunei from the Councils of the Commonwealth; and further calls on the UK Trade Envoy to raise this in future discussions with Bruneian officials.