Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. James’s Park
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. James’s Park

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

The head of the FCO is the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly abbreviated to Foreign Secretary (currently David Miliband). This position is traditionally regarded as one of the three most prestigious appointments in the cabinet, alongside those of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary. Together with the Prime Minister, these comprise the Great Offices of State.

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Current ministers

Entrance to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Entrance to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Ministers at the FCO, as of 29 June 2007, are as follows:

The current Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service is Sir Peter Ricketts, KCMG, a senior civil servant.

History of the department

The department's origins

The Foreign Office's Grand Staircase in 1868
The Foreign Office's Grand Staircase in 1868

The FCO was formed in 1968, out of the merger of the short-lived Commonwealth Office and the Foreign Office. The Commonwealth Office had been created only in 1966, by the merger of the Commonwealth Relations Office and the Colonial Office, and the Commonwealth Relations Office had been formed by the merger of the Dominions Office and the India Office in 1947—with the Dominions Office having been split from the Colonial Office in 1925.

The Foreign Office was formed in March 1782 by combining the Southern and Northern Departments, each of which covered both foreign and domestic affairs in their respective geographical parts of the Kingdom. The two departments' foreign affairs responsibilities became the Foreign Office, whilst their domestic affairs responsibilities were assigned to the Home Office.

Recent developments

In 2006, the FCO identified ten strategic international priorities for the UK over the next five to ten years. The priorities underline how closely domestic and international policies are now linked:

1. Making the world safer from global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction
2. Reducing the harm to the UK from international crime, including drug trafficking, people smuggling and money laundering
3. Preventing and resolving conflict through a strong international system
4. Building an effective and globally competitive EU in a secure neighbourhood
5. Supporting the UK economy and business through an open and expanding global economy, science and innovation and secure energy supplies
6. Achieving climate security by promoting a faster transition to a sustainable, low carbon global economy
7. Promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction underpinned by human rights, democracy, good governance and protection of the environment
8. Managing migration and combating illegal immigration
9. Delivering high-quality support for British nationals abroad, in normal times and in crises
10.Ensuring the security and good governance of the UK's Overseas Territories

In August 2005, a report by management consultant group Collinson Grant was made public by Andrew Mackinlay. The report criticised the management structure of the department, noting that:

  • The Foreign Office could be "slow to act".
  • Delegation is lacking within the management structure.
  • Accountability was poor.
  • 1200 jobs could feasibly be cut.
  • At least £48 million could be saved annually.

The Foreign Office commissioned the report to highlight areas which would help it achieve its pledge to reduce spending by £87 million pounds over three years. In response to the report being made public, the Foreign Office stated it had already implemented the report's recommendations. [1]

In April 2006 a new executive agency was established, FCO Services, to provide corporate service functions. In April 2008 it moved to Trading Fund status so it had the ability to provide similar services which it already offers to the FCO, to other government departments and even outside businesses.

History of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Main building

The western or park end of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's building in 1866. It was then occupied by the Foreign and India Offices, while the Home and Colonial Offices occupied the Whitehall end.
The western or park end of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's building in 1866. It was then occupied by the Foreign and India Offices, while the Home and Colonial Offices occupied the Whitehall end.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office occupies a building which originally provided premises for four separate government departments: the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Colonial Office, and the Home Office. Construction on the building began in 1861 and finished in 1868, and it was designed by the architect George Gilbert Scott. Its architecture is in the Italianate style; Scott had initially envisaged a Gothic design, but the then Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston insisted on a classical style. (Palmerston was Prime Minister at the time the building was begun, in 1861, not Foreign Secretary, a post that he had not held since 1851.) English sculptor John Birnie Philip produced a number of allegorical figures ('Art', 'Law', 'Commerce', etc) for the exterior.

In 1925, the Foreign Office played host to the signing of the Locarno Treaties, aimed at reducing tension in Europe. The ceremony took place is a suite of rooms that had been designed for banqueting, which subsequently became known as the Locarno Suite. During the Second World War, the Locarno Suite's fine furnishings were removed or covered up, and it became home to a foreign office code-breaking department.

Due to increasing numbers of staff, the offices became increasingly cramped throughout the years and much of the fine Victorian interior was covered over—especially after World War II. In the 1960s, demolition was proposed, as part of major redevelopment plan for the area drawn up by architect Sir Leslie Martin. A subsequent public outcry prevented these proposals from ever being implemented. Instead, the Foreign Office became a Grade 1 listed building in 1970. In 1978, the Home office moved to a new building, easing overcrowding.

With a new sense of the building's historical value, it underwent a 17-year, £100 Million restoration process, completed in 1997. The Locarno Suite, used as offices and storage since the Second World War, was fully restored for use in international conferences. The building is now open to the public each year on Open House Weekend. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is now also the main tenant of the Admiralty Extension building, at the opposite end of Horse Guards Parade.

List of Foreign and Commonwealth Office home properties

  • FCO Main Building, Whitehall, King Charles St, London. (Abbreviated to KCS by FCO staff)
  • Kirkland House, 22-24 Whitehall, London.
  • Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall, London. (Abbreviated to OAB by FCO staff)
  • Hanslope Park, Hanslope, Milton Keynes. (Abbreviated to HSP by FCO staff. Location of FCO Services, HMGCC and Technical Security Department of the UK Secret Intelligence Service)

See also

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′09.7″N, 0°07′39.7″W

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