Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500, what items were purchased from (a) KTLondon.com on 21 August 2021, (b) Highball on 14 September 2021 and (c) Shake Swirl on 7 June 2022.

The Highball payment was for English wine. There is an expectation that UK diplomatic missions procure and serve British wine whenever possible for official entertainment to boost exports, support and promote UK business overseas and project soft power.

The payment to Shake Swirl was for service and kitchen support staff for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee event at the High Commissioner's Residence in Singapore, for 600 people, including key government, commercial and diplomatic contacts.

The expenditure with KTLondon.com was for the provision of meal items for approximately 250 working on multiple shifts of the UK end response of Operation Pitting, the humanitarian evacuation from Afghanistan, in the FCDO's Crisis Centre. Expenditure for all 3 was subject to normal FCDO controls.