Tag: Sammy Wilson

Senior Conservative MPs, including Shadow Foreign Office Minister Wendy Morton and former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns, have been accused of hypocrisy after condemning Labour MP Afzal Khan for visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) – despite having undertaken similar visits themselves.

Wendy Morton, a former Minister for Europe, recently criticised Mr Khan’s trip, stating:

“A government representative would never visit occupied Donbas or Crimea. So for Afzal Khan to unofficially visit occupied northern Cyprus is totally unacceptable.”

Yet in 2021, Morton herself paid an official visit to the TRNC, where she met with President Ersin Tatar in her capacity as a UK government minister.

More recently, just three months ago, Morton took part in a trip funded by the Greek Cypriot government to southern Cyprus – raising further questions about her impartiality and understanding of the UK’s responsibilities as a guarantor power.

Similarly, Alicia Kearns, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned travel to “a territory we don’t recognise.” However, in 2023 she travelled to Somaliland – a region which also has no international recognition from the UK or the broader international community.

Critics argue that the attacks on Khan reflect a pattern of selective amnesia from the Tory front bench, with Morton and Kearns both having engaged with unrecognised or disputed territories when politically convenient.

The episode has reignited debate around the UK’s constitutional role as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which requires the UK to act impartially and maintain good relations with both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Morton’s comparison of Northern Cyprus to Russian-occupied Donbas or Crimea has drawn particular criticism for misrepresenting the UK’s legal and diplomatic obligations. Critics say such rhetoric risks undermining the delicate balance Britain is meant to uphold between the two communities on the island.

Commenting on the controversy, DUP MP Sammy Wilson said:

“Afzal Khan’s resignation is deeply unfair and unjust. No MP should be punished for engaging with Turkish Cypriots and listening to their concerns.

“For decades, MPs have visited Northern Cyprus and met officials without consequence – yet Afzal Khan has been unfairly singled out.

“The hypocrisy is glaring: those now criticising him have themselves visited Northern Cyprus and even travelled to territories the UK does not recognise, such as Somaliland.

“Silencing dialogue in this way undermines free speech and sets a dangerous precedent for parliamentary independence.”

References:

• Wendy Morton’s remarks criticising Afzal Khan’s visit to Northern Cyprus were published in the Daily Mail (August 2025), where she stated:
  “A government representative would never visit occupied Donbas or Crimea. So for Afzal Khan to unofficially visit occupied northern Cyprus is totally unacceptable.”
  Full article: Daily Mail – 20 August 2025
• Wendy Morton previously visited the TRNC in 2021 as the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Europe, where she met with President Ersin Tatar in an official capacity:
  TRNC Presidency Website – October 2021
• Alicia Kearns publicly condemned travel to unrecognised territories in response to Afzal Khan’s visit, stating:
  “We should not be sending parliamentarians to a territory we don’t recognise.”
  Tweet by Alicia Kearns – 2025
• Yet in 2023, Alicia Kearns herself visited Somaliland, a territory not recognised by the UK or the international community. Her visit included meetings with officials and was shared on her public channels:
  Tweet by Alicia Kearns – September 2023