Dr Hywel Francis MP with John Smith Trust Fellow, Rabih Dandachli of Lebanon
Aberavon MP Dr Hywel Francis last week week hosted a visit by a Fellow of the John Smith Trust, Mr Rabih Dandachli from Lebanon.
The Trust is a UK charity established in 1996 as a permanent memorial to the late John Smith MP and promotes social justice and rule of law through initiatives such as their Fellowship programme. Fellows of the Trust, who are outstanding individuals and have demonstrated leadership in their home countries, are afforded the opportunity to visit UK government to witness first-hand how our institutions work. As part of their visits, they are able to spend a day shadowing a Member of Parliament, which Dr Francis was keen to support.
Dr Francis said,
‘I was very pleased to host Mr. Dandachli and to share insights into the role of an MP and how the UK Parliament works, and in particular to tell him about my work as Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights.
I introduced Mr. Dandachli to Alastair Darling MP, who was of course a good friend of the late John Smith MP, in whose memory this excellent programme has been established.”
Mr. Dandachli, who was previously involved in the Lebanese Students League and who has a particular interest in human rights, attended the Joint Committee on Human Rights with Dr Francis, Prime Minister’s Questions, and shadowed Dr Francis as he carried out his daily duties as the Member of Parliament for Aberavon.
