Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of the UK's diplomatic relations with the government of Syria; and whether they have any plans to change those relations.

The British Government has not severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Since the withdrawal of our staff from the British Embassy in Damascus in February 2012 and the closure of the Syrian Embassy in London in August 2012, our dealings have been minimal and occur only in relation to essential consular or administrative issues. There is no plan to change this. The UK believes the Asad regime has lost its legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people and that a sustainable political settlement in Syria ultimately requires a political transition away from the current regime.