Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the Prime Minister did not lead the UK delegation at the UN General Assembly High Level Week in New York from 19 to 23 September; why he did not attend the Sustainable Development Goals Summit on 18 and 19 September; and what assessment they have made of the implications this has for UK leadership in the UN.

The UK delegation to the UN General Assembly High Level Week, including the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, was led by the Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by the Foreign Secretary, Secretary of State for Environment, Minister Stuart, Minister Quince, Minister Mitchell, and myself [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon]. The UK delegation built on the significant announcements made by the PM at the G20 in New Delhi, demonstrating how UK priorities can be advanced through multilateralism. In recent decades it has not been uncommon for the UK delegation to be led by someone other than the Prime Minister. Between 2001 and 2013, the UK delegation was frequently led by the Deputy Prime Minister (2010, 2013) or Foreign Secretary (2001-4, 2006, 2007).