Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many charter flights the Government has commissioned to repatriate UK citizens stranded in African countries since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, by location.

The British Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to help bring back British travellers to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary on 30 March - with up to £75 million available for special charter flights to priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers. We have run 21 charter flights from Africa from seven different countries which include Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return home.