John Baron MP presses Government for greater foreign policy investment

MP says FCO budget must be increased

Today in the House of Commons, during Foreign and Commonwealth Office Questions, John Baron MP asked Rt Hon David Lidington MP about investment into our foreign policy capabilities. The budget of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been subjected to deep cuts, with the result that the FCO found itself with insufficient Arabic speakers at the time of the Arab Spring, and is short on Russian analysts.

In the House of Commons, John asked,

“Given the admission we were unsighted on Russia and the Ukraine, and that we were short of Arabists following the Arab Spring, is there not a case for greater investment in our foreign policy capabilities, which not only would ensure we were better sighted, but could also save money in the longer term as we would better avoid mistakes?”

The Minister responded that the FCO has focused on key policy areas, despite a difficult fiscal position.

Afterwards, John said,

“Cuts to the FCO budget have resulted in a palpable loss of expertise. We risk being unsighted on future developments, and run the risk of making avoidable foreign policy mistakes. In today’s uncertain and complex international environment, we must commit to protecting and increasing the FCO budget to ensure we make informed decisions.”