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 European counterparts on continued diplomatic cooperation with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Last week the Foreign Secretary attended the Foreign Affairs Council with all his EU counterparts. He also held separate bilateral meetings with some of them. It was clear that the EU and its Member States value highly the UK's contribution to European foreign and security policy and want this to continue. At the EU Informal Minister's meeting this week he will continue to discuss future co-operation with EU counterparts. The ambitious future relationship set out in the Political Declaration will enable this to continue, allowing the UK and our European allies to cooperate closely to tackle the common threats we face and promote the values and interests we share.