The future of Britain’s diplomatic relationship with Europe inquiry

Published 27 March 2018.

The FCO "notes" the Committee's report and sets out a response to each recommendation, stating that structures for future UK-EU foreign policy cooperation "will be discussed during negotiations" and that it is "not prescriptive about the mechanisms".

• On the EU relationship, the Government "shares the Committee's objective of building a close and cooperative relationship with the EU on foreign policy", and anticipates a higher level of bilateral engagement with European countries.
• On staffing in Europe, the FCO says it has created 50 additional diplomatic positions and is creating more than 150 further positions, 50 of them in European embassies. It describes the uplift as temporary and says longer term staffing decisions "will be taken in due course".
• On the UK's mission to the EU after Brexit, the FCO is consulting third country missions in Brussels, and decisions "will be contingent upon the outcome of the EU exit negotiations". Ministerial portfolios are "for the Prime Minister to make at the appropriate time".
• On UK-Ireland relations, the FCO states that its requested analysis of the bilateral relationship "shall be presented by July 2018".

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