Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to improve diplomatic relations with Malawi.

Bilateral relations between the UK and Malawi remain strong. Following the Presidential election on 21 May, our High Commission in Lilongwe is engaging with the newly appointed Government to agree areas for future co-operation. The UK supports prosperity and development for the people of Malawi with around £140 million invested per year through the Department for International Development (DFID)'s work, which is targeted on the most vulnerable in society. The UK-funded Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme is helping Malawi adopt faster and more efficient customs procedures. In turn, these will reduce the cost of doing business and create a more enabling environment for intra-Commonwealth Trade. In conjunction with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), we are also providing expertise and training to Malawian rangers to tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade. The recently announced Royal Visit to Malawi by HRH The Duke of Sussex in the Autumn will strengthen further our deep and long-standing relationship with Malawi.