Published: 10/06/2008 00:00 - Updated: 19/02/2009 00:18

Shadow Foreign Minister visits Luton

The Shadow Foreign Minister, Keith Simpson MP, visited Luton Conservatives last week.

Mr Simpson was at a Conservative Association lunch on Thursday, June 5 and answered questions from the audience of nearly 60 association members and their guests on a variety of national and international topics.

Following a speech in which he discussed some of the main international challenges of the day, including global food price increases, oil prices, terrorism and the threat to Middle East stability posed by Iran's attempts to obtain nuclear weapons, Mr Simpson then answered a series of questions from the audience. 

Audience questions covered the health service, the US elections, immigration, and self determination in Kashmir.

On the latter issue, Mr Simpson said that Britain had an historic interest in the region and should continue to put pressure on both the Pakistani and Indian governments to negotiate and come to a peaceful solution over the disputed territory.

However, Mr Simpson stressed that direct intervention by the UK was not an option, but that we should continue to be vocal in expressing our eagerness for a settlement, for the avoidance of conflict and our complete abhorrence of any military action or state sponsored terrorist activity in, around or about the disputed territories.

Mr Simpson also encouraged audience members and the British public at large to continue to make their own opinions on the Kashmir issue clear to their elected representatives, and to keep up the pressure by writing to their local MP's and to Government Ministers, and to the High Commissions of India and Pakistan - with a view to encouraging the responsible regional powers to come to a reasonable solution.

Mr Simpson highlighted how important Luton was to the Conservative Party.

If the Conservative Party is to form a government, he stressed the fact that both Nigel Huddleston (Conservative candidate for Luton South) and Jeremy Brier (Conservative candidate for Luton North) must both win their respective seats.