Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

Mr Hugo Swire

We have well established Diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries both through the FCO’s global network and through Ministerial and official contacts with Commonwealth High Commissions and the Commonwealth Secretariat. These enable us to engage with the 52 other Commonwealth members both bilaterally and on Commonwealth business. In 2014 we appointed the first UK Commonwealth Envoy specifically to forge closer ties with London-based High Commissioners and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Our membership of international organisations such as the UN Security Council and EU means that we are uniquely placed to make our voice heard, particularly in support of the Commonwealth’s smaller members.