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Diplomatic Service: Expenditure

Asked by Rachael MaskellLabour (Co-op)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 11 June 2025UIN 57639

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spends on diplomacy (a) in numerical terms and (b) as a proportion of gross value added each year.

Answered by Catherine West

Diplomacy is at the heart of all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) activity, both in the UK and overseas. It is not possible for the FCDO to accurately present a numerical cost of diplomacy, nor the proportion of gross value added each year, because diplomacy will be a varying portion of almost all FCDO expenditure.

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