Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the US administration on strengthening diplomatic ties between the US and UK.

We place great importance on the strength of the diplomatic relationship we hold with the US. We have regular discussions with the US administration on a range of key foreign policy issues, including most recently during the visit of the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) to the US on 15 and 16 January. In a joint press conference with President Obama, the Prime Minister stated that “For almost two centuries, ..., America and Britain have stood as kindred spirits in defending our freedoms and advancing our shared prosperity”. The President acknowledged the UK as “one of my closest and most trusted partners in the world”.