Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
Fourth Report: A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy
Published 22 Oct 2020
Paragraph 16
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The FCDO and the Integrated Review All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The UK intends to prioritise its promotion of trade, and trade policy has the capacity to become a significant aspect of the UK’s international influence. But, if it is not coordinated with other UK priorities abroad, then the elevation of trade risks introducing further incoherence into the UK’s international policy. We recommend that the Government delivers even deeper strategic coordination between the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the FCDO to ensure greater policy coherence and impact.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Fourth Report: A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy (HC 380), paragraph 16, 22 October 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 January 2021 (deadline 22 December 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with many of the Committee's recommendations and its assessment of global trends, but disagrees with the characterisation of UK international policy as "adrift" and with the claim that Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts.
- It disagrees with the claim that "Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts", saying the creation of the FCDO "enables integration of international development and foreign policy".
- On the Integrated Review's priorities, it says it "would not want to prejudge" the review's outcomes on conflict resolution and soft power, and that the Review "will be published in the new year".
- It does not agree on the need to establish diplomatic missions to leading technology companies, believing engagement "should utilise the existing relationships government holds with key businesses in the sector".
- On aid, it says it will "return to spending 0.7 of GNI on ODA when the fiscal situation allows", having temporarily reduced spending to 0.5% of GNI.