Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of the UK's potential ability to influence European foreign policy after the UK has left the EU and no longer attends meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council; and if he will make a statement.

UK and EU partners will continue to face the same threats and share the same priorities. The UK will leave the formal structures of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, including meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council, but the Political Declaration sets out a new model of cooperation that will enable us to continue to cooperate closely on foreign and security policy issues, where in our mutual interest. This will provide mutual influence between independent actors. We hear repeatedly from our EU partners that they want to cooperate closely with us, a desire shared by this Government. We will continue to do this bilaterally, as well as through European and international fora, and multilateral bodies, during and after the Implementation Period.