Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in Malawi.

Malawians can be rightly proud of their commitment to resolving political differences through their country's democratic institutions and processes, in particular during the last electoral period. When my predecessor visited Malawi in October 2020, he congratulated President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima on Malawi's peaceful transition of power, and explored areas where the UK could support the government's reform agenda, including on anti-corruption, long-term economic development and supporting the poorest.

As a long term friend of Malawi, we continue to work with the Malawian Government to tackle the issues that matter to Malawians. We welcome Malawi's strong engagement this year at the Global Education Summit, on climate change negotiations through COP26, and its effective Presidency of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).