Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 12
But the UK will have the greatest impact abroad if it uses its range of...
Conclusion
But the UK will have the greatest impact abroad if it uses its range of assets and capabilities coherently. It is unlikely that the merger of the Department for A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy 19 International Development (DFID) and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) will resolve the persistent problem that Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the need for coherent use of assets and capabilities, describing its commitment through increased defence spending, the establishment of the National Cyber Force, and a strategy to use the full spectrum of sovereign capabilities to address threats.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
12
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
7.1 We disagree with the claim that Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts. The Prime Minister has set out his ambition to reform the way that the UK Government operates internationally and for all UK Government operations overseas to be fully integrated. Our goal is to maximise the impact of all our international activity by aligning all the expertise, relationships and tools that UK Government has to offer to achieve our shared objectives. All government departments will work to a single set of agreed government objectives for which the Ambassador or High Commissioner will be fully accountable. Our new Strategic Framework for ODA, announced to the House of Commons in November 2020, will further enhance this coherence. The creation of the FCDO enables integration of international development and foreign policy, and lowers the risk of different parts of government working independently of each other, preventing the UK from speaking with one voice internationally and from being able to act quickly as situations arise. 7.2 Under the leadership of the Foreign Secretary as the single Cabinet Minister for foreign and development affairs, we will ensure that our diplomatic aims are supported through our development resource, and that our world-class diplomacy helps to deliver greater effectiveness and impact in our development programming and policy influence. Whether in preparing to host COP26 or the G7 Presidency, supporting British Nationals Overseas, or meeting global challenges, bringing together diplomacy and development policy will allow us to be more coherent abroad.
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