Douglas Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on human rights in Sri Lanka, said 

“Today’s report from the cross-party Foreign Affairs Select Committee raises urgent questions about the British Government’s approach towards human rights in Sri Lanka, and the decision by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to shortly attend the Commonwealth summit.

"Following the two decades of civil war which saw brutality from all sides, the Sri Lankan authorities have failed to act on the recommendations of the UN’s human rights chief Navi Pilay, and there remain on-going reports of harassment and intimidation towards journalists and campaigners by the Sri Lankan government.

"This worrying disregard for protecting the human rights of its citizens has provoked deep concern from the international community, and from Commonwealth countries in particular.

"Labour has previously called on David Cameron to use the prospect of his non-attendance at the November Commonwealth summit in Colombo to place greater pressure on the Sri Lankan authorities to uphold their obligations.

"Sadly, today’s cross-party report only emphasises the extent of the Prime Minister’s misjudgement of this issue in recent months.”