100 MPs say no to Trump's aggressions against Cuba
Campaign News | Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Over 100 Members of Parliament have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the UK Government to uphold international law and oppose Trump’s increased sanctions against Cuba. The MPs voiced their “grave concern” at Donald Trump’s latest assault on Cuba and have called on the British government to act in the face of an impending humanitarian crisis on the island.
EDM 2739 titled ‘New Sanctions on Cuba’ was tabled 3 February in response to Trump’s executive order on 29 January, which unjustifiably declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States and authorised new sanctions against any country supplying oil to Cuba.
The impact of the order has been devastating for the Cuban people, causing widespread power outages, shutdowns of workplaces and lack of fuel for transport. Serious shortages of basics such as food, medicines and household supplies are causing widespread hardship with countries such as Mexico, Canada and Vietnam sending humanitarian shipments to the island.
With the US President threatening to 'take' Cuba in recent weeks, MPs from the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, SNP, Plaid Cyrmu, SDLP, Your Party and a number of independents have now signed the motion. It is the EDM with the most signatures in 2026 and is still rising.
Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba, and primary sponsor of the motion, Steve Witherden MP recently told a meeting in Parliament on the current siege that there should be “common ground in Parliament on the principle that nations have the right to sovereignty and self-determination.”
“We tabled the motion to oppose Trumps illegal aggression against Cuba," he said. "It is outrageous to starve a whole population to try and force your will on another sovereign country. I hope the UK Government will now take action to support the Cuban people at this time just as others such as Canada and Spain have done.”
While EDMs are not binding, they are part of formal parliamentary procedure and can send a clear message to the government, bringing forward areas of concern for MPs from across the House.
Since the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC) launched an appeal to supporters to lobby their elected representatives about the issue, 540 out of 650 MPs have been contacted directly by constituents urging them to sign the motion.
Responding to a constituent, Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds said: “I hope the motion attracts wide support across the House, because the message it sends is an important one: that the UK will not stay silent when civilian populations are subjected to measures that endanger their lives and undermine the sovereignty of states.”
Mr Reynolds is one of 40 Liberal Democrat MPs that have now added their names to the motion, including former leader Tim Farron and party spokespeople Munira Wilson and Layla Moran.
They join all five Green Party MPs in signing the motion, whose support follows party leader Zack Polanski adding his name to CSC’s Urgent Call for Peace and Sovereignty.
Calling on the British government to oppose the US’s flagrant disregard for international law, Dr Ellie Chowns, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party said: “Trump has intensified his threats against Cuba following the collapse of the island nation’s energy grid under a US-imposed oil blockade, declaring just yesterday that he believes he will ‘take’ the country and ‘could do anything [he] want[s] with it. This cannot continue.”
In a video message shared on the Greens’ social media platforms, former leader Natalie Bennett described the serious situation in Cuba. “Hospitals without power, people unable to get medicines and food shortages. With all these humanitarian consequences, why is the British government not speaking out against this?”
Richard Burgon MP, who was in Cuba this weekend delivering humanitarian aid with a international delegation said:
“In Cuba I saw the cruel consequences of Trump’s total ban on fuel entering the country, including its impact on the ability to provide healthcare to those in need. Cutting off fuel to an entire country is an inhumane attempt by Trump to strangle the Cuban people into submission. It is illegal and it's putting lives at risk. The UK rightly votes against the US blockade at the UN each year, but that must now be matched with action. It should follow Spain’s example and provide emergency humanitarian aid.”
Rob Miller, Cuba Solidarity Campaign Director celebrated the reach of the motion. “We are delighted with the MPs that have signed this motion in support of Cuba’s sovereignty in the face of US aggression. Together they represent over 7 million UK constituents. We now hope the UK Government will move quickly to send humanitarian support to Cuba, a country with which we have had full diplomatic and friendly relations for over 120 years."
Ellie Reeves MP, the government's Solicitor General, was one of hundreds of MPs written to as part of CSC's appeal. She responded to constituents letters, stating that:
“The UK has consistently voted since 1996 in support of the annual United Nations General Assembly Resolution calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba. The embargo negatively affects living standards and impedes the economic development of the country.” “As you may know, elements of US legislation prevent and restrict British companies, among others, from conducting legitimate and lawful business in Cuba.”
