Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with their Australian counterparts on their decision to shut the Australian embassy in Afghanistan.

Ministers and senior officials have frequent contact with their Australian counterparts on a range of issues, including our future approach in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister discussed Afghanistan with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on 14 May. There has been close collaboration between UK and Australia on Afghanistan over the last 20 years. We will continue to support Afghanistan together, working towards a more stable, peaceful future for Afghanistan, and the wider region.