About this episode

The episode discusses the integration of diplomacy and development within the Foreign Office amidst significant challenges and changes.

Five years on from the merger of the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, this is a pivotal moment for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The government is managing the reduction in the international aid budget, the department is undergoing a major restructuring, and its permanent secretary was sacked by the prime minister. With fewer resources, evolving security threats and diplomatic challenges, the government should be seizing this moment to integrate diplomacy and development. Recent research from the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation has shown how modern conflict is increasingly interconnected with challenges such as food security and malnutrition – and that unless these and other pressures are addressed in a genuinely joined‑up way, the UK risks operating in siloes. But how joined up is diplomacy and development, and can the department both retain its leadership role in international development and protect the UK’s national interest? How should the Foreign Office approach these challenges when staff numbers are falling and its budget is shrinking? What principles should guide the merged department through this…

Topics covered

• diplomacy
• development
• international aid
• government restructuring
• foreign policy
• security threats

Keywords

• Foreign Office
• Department for International Development
• FCDO
• international aid budget
• diplomatic challenges
• food security
• malnutrition
• government restructuring

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Foreign Office, Department for International Development, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HALO Trust, Eleanor Crook Foundation

More episodes of Institute for Government

• IfG DevoLab #6: How can mayors support a just climate transition? · July 16, 2026 · 1h 36m
• Creating a regulatory system that attracts investment · July 16, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Delivering government policy through regulation · July 16, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Welcome and keynote speech by Blair McDougall MP, Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation · July 16, 2026 · 52 min
• In conversation with Sir Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats · July 15, 2026 · 1h 5m
• In conversation with Richard Tice MP, Deputy Leader of Reform UK · July 7, 2026 · 47 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Institute for Government podcast page.