Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which official George Papadopoulos met during his visit to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2016; when that meeting was held; what was discussed; what position in the Trump presidential campaign that official was informed that George Papadopoulos held; and whether he met officials from any other Government departments.

The then Head of the FCO’s North America Department held a brief introductory meeting with George Papadopoulos, one of the Trump campaign’s named foreign policy advisors, in September 2016. A written record of this meeting was not produced. The FCO’s Americas Directorate is not aware of officials from any other Government departments meeting Papadopoulos.

A critical part of sustaining the strong UK-US relationship is outreach to figures in potential future US administrations, particularly during election campaigns. The British Embassy in Washington and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office held a range of meetings with figures in both the Democrat and Republican presidential campaigns in the run up to November 2016.