Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID). The FCO was itself created in 1968 by the merger of the Foreign Office (FO) and the Commonwealth Office. The department in its various forms is responsible for representing and promoting British interests worldwide.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Department overview

FCDO Main Building, Westminster
Formed	1782 (1782) (as the Foreign Office)
Preceding agencies	Commonwealth Office Foreign Office Department for International Development
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	King Charles Street London SW1 51°30′11″N 0°07′40″W
Annual budget	£1.1bn (current) & £0.1bn (capital) in 2015–16
Secretary of State responsible	The Rt Hon. The Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton PC, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Minister of State (attending Cabinet) responsible	The Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP, Minister of State for Development and Africa
Department executive	Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Secretary and Head of HM Diplomatic Service
Child agencies	FCDO Services Wilton Park
Website	gov.uk/fcdo

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The head of the FCDO is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, commonly abbreviated to "Foreign Secretary". This is regarded as one of the four most prestigious positions in the Cabinet – the Great Offices of State – alongside those of Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary. Former Prime Minister David Cameron was appointed Foreign Secretary on 13 November 2023.

The FCDO is managed day-to-day by a civil servant, the permanent under-secretary of state for foreign affairs, who also acts as the Head of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service. Sir Philip Barton took office as permanent under-secretary on 2 September 2020.

The expenditure, administration and policy of the FCDO are scrutinised by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

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