Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of political cooperation between the UK and Zambia.

The UK and the Republic of Zambia continue to maintain a close bilateral relationship, with co-operation in a range of areas including development, security, trade and investment and international affairs. Zambian Vice-President Wina Inonge visited London in November 2015 to host an investment conference and my Rt Hon. Friend the former Minister of State for International Development Minister (Nick Hurd) visited Zambia in May 2016. Zambia held elections in August this year; the British High Commission has continued to maintain regular engagement with the Zambian Government since then, focusing particularly on supporting the government with its plans for economic reform.