Annabel Mullin (Kensington)

Annabel Mullin (Kensington)

Twitter: @AnnabelMullin. Visit her website here.

1) Do you agree that the UK should recognise Palestine? What would be your reasons for and against recognition?

We value international law, human rights and international cooperation for all these problems and working towards a solution on that basis. The party’s policy is to support the recognition of Palestine as a state.

2) Should the UK call for an end to all illegal Israeli settlement construction on Palestinian land, and stop trade with Israeli settlements? Do you consider settlements as an obstacle to peace, and what can the UK Government do about them?

On Israel and Palestine, we insist that each party takes the rights of the other in international law as the starting point for negotiating peace. 

3) Do you think that the UK's response to the refugee crisis has been satisfactory? What more should the UK be doing, in particular in countries where most refugees are being hosted?

No and we have said that again and again. Tim Farron has spent a lot of time in the camps in Calais and only today has pledged to take in 50,000 refugees from Syria. 

4) Should guarantees on human rights be a condition of new free trade agreements after the UK leaves the EU?

The negotiations are going to be lengthy and difficult and of course human rights are the essence of how we should be framing the narrative in those discussions. 

5) Will Brexit change Britain's foreign policy priorities in the Middle East? If so, how? What role can the UK play in the Middle East?

We believe that weakening the EU is not helpful to the peoples of all these vulnerable societies because it is a huge force for stability and it is a tragedy we are leaving.     

6) Do you support Britain’s continued military involvement against ISIS in Syria and Iraq?

As someone who went on the anti Iraq war march I felt very strongly that it was inappropriate to get involved, in Syria however in order to prevent chemical attacks on more citizens I felt that some military response was necessary. So as with many complex questions there are no easy answers. 

7) Do you think that the government should suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia over its involvement in the bombing campaign of Yemen?

Tom Brake said earlier in the year that there is no doubt that the government have trampled over the spirit of the law, which is in place to scrutinise the sale of weapons, uphold British values and protect human rights. “Saudi Arabia’s vicious campaign in Yemen has cost thousands of lives and left a country in ruins, and this Tory government are complicit in that tragedy.”

8) What would you propose to address increasing levels of hate crime in Britain, including attacks on the Muslim community, Jewish community, and on refugees and migrants?

As an ex-police officer and current magistrate I see the impact of hate crime and the repercussions. My belief is that whilst having no tolerance for the offence is the right way to go, it does not deal with the underlying problem. We have issues of integration that need more funding and resources.