UK Ratification of NATO Accession Protocols for Finland & Sweden

Deputy Speaker,

In accordance with section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) I wish to inform the House that I believe the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Kingdom of Sweden (together the “Protocols”) should be ratified.

In May 2022 Finland and Sweden submitted their formal applications to join NATO. This was a historic moment in that we saw greater cooperation with key allies, but a stark tell for the escalation in world tension and threat posed to global security.

It is absolutely of no question that Finland and Sweden are some of NATO and our own closest partners. They share our principles and values, to which include liberty, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. They share the Alliance’s unwavering commitment to international security and the agreements on which it is based including the renown UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act.

By bringing them into the alliance we bring forward the vast opportunities in military training, technology and cooperation. Both nations already have years of experience training and operating with us and our NATO allies, and have made significant contributions to operations and missions. Their application to NATO was prompted in the wake of the aggressive war launched by the Russian State on Ukraine. With Russia conducting its illegal and barbaric war in continental Europe, it is unsurprising that countries that already work closely with NATO would consider applying to join the alliance and to benefit from its collective security guarantees. We must ensure that Finland and Sweden are integrated into NATO as quickly as possible as already this has been unnecessary and carelessly delayed.

This government is committed to strengthening security and defence at home and overseas. A strong NATO is at the heart of our ability to deter and defend against state adversaries. Unlike the previous Governments which have failed to ratify the membership of Finland and Sweden for nearly a year since their application, we have taken what is the long overdue step in doing this. It should go to show that this Government is committed to a proactive foreign policy, the strength of our allies and our national security.

It is imperative that we bring Sweden and Finland under NATO’s Article 5 umbrella as swiftly as possible. Both countries’ decision puts them at risk of a potentially aggressive Russian response. With the threats launched in the public domain regarding the possibility of Swedish and Finnish membership of NATO by the Russian State, we must act now in order to safeguard these values of security and peace whilst remaining a strong bulwark against aggressive and illegal expansionism in Europe.

We will ensure the UK’s part is at long last concluded in formalising their membership of NATO. The attitude of the previous Government severely undermined Britain’s role in NATO and Deputy Speaker, we absolutely will not allow that to plague our foreign policy and place our allies at risk. All thirty Allies had ratified the protocols before us. It is truly shameful that the dithering and delay of the previous Governments has let this go on for so long and in my trip to Brussels I expressed my deepest regret to our partners on the matter. It is important that the UK does everything we can to do likewise.

We look forward to finally welcoming our longstanding partners of Sweden and Finland into NATO and standing with them side by side in defence of freedom and democracy.

This Statement was submitted by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, The Rt Hon Dame u/BlueEarlGrey DBE PC, on behalf of His Majesty’s 33rd Government and additionally supported by the Unity Party

This session will end on Tuesday the 2nd of May at 10PM