Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
ADVT 
International

UK cuts diplomatic jobs in countries like India, Pak, China: Report

Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Mar, 2023 10:44 AM
  • UK cuts diplomatic jobs in countries like India, Pak, China: Report

London, March 13 (IANS) British-based diplomatic posts for key Indo-Pacific countries like India, Pakistan and China have been cut by up to 50 per cent in recent years, according to new government figures.

Despite being identified as key places to deepen ties with over the coming decade, staff members of embassies and consulates in Pakistan, China and India have all been diminishing over the last seven years, the Guardian reported.

According to the report, the number of British-based Foreign Office staff was between 110 and 119 in the Pakistan embassy and consulate.

This fell to 50-59, a cut equivalent to about 50 per cent.

Over the same timeframe, the number of British-based Foreign Office staff was cut from 70-79 to 40-49 in the past seven years in India.

The figures shared by the Guardian came from the Foreign Office minister David Rutley, in response to written parliamentary questions by the Labour frontbencher Catherine West.

The figures also showed a reduction in the number of trips by ministers to these countries.

The Foreign Office and international development department conducted 37 ministerial trips to the Indo-Pacific region in 2018, with some countries being visited more than once a year.

However, by 2022, the number of ministerial trips conducted was less than a third of that, with just 12 recorded, the Guardian reported.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told the Guardian that these numbers do not give an "accurate picture" of Britain's presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The reduction in headcount of UK-based staff in China and India is partly due to Covid and how the UK spends its overseas development budget, the Guardian was told.

Citing evidence of the UK's growing influence in the region, the spokesperson told the Guardian that there was a boost of 16.4 per cent in trade with the Indo-Pacific year-on-year from autumn 2021 to 2022.

MORE International ARTICLES

WATCH: BRAND NEW IMMIGRATION UPDATES - Work Permit for Visitors | PR for Refugees | Express Entry #visa

WATCH: BRAND NEW IMMIGRATION UPDATES - Work Permit for Visitors | PR for Refugees | Express Entry #visa
WATCH: Good News - HUGE announcements made by ministry of citizenship and Immigration Canada. Are you a visitor to Canada (as of Aug 24 2020), and got a Job-offer?

WATCH: BRAND NEW IMMIGRATION UPDATES - Work Permit for Visitors | PR for Refugees | Express Entry #visa

Officials change virus testing advice, bewildering experts

Officials change virus testing advice, bewildering experts
U.S. health officials sparked criticism and confusion after posting guidelines on coronavirus testing from the White House task force that run counter to what scientists say is necessary to control the pandemic.

Officials change virus testing advice, bewildering experts

Navarro: 'What's good about Canada?'

Navarro: 'What's good about Canada?'
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is taking some unprovoked swipes at Canada in a new book about U.S. President Donald Trump's unconventional approach to foreign policy.

Navarro: 'What's good about Canada?'

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline
It's Vice-President Mike Pence's turn to take the stage at the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump's allies, friends and family members have spent the week putting a positive sheen on the president's first term.

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 
The son of Maharaja Dalip Singh, the late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's palace is up for sale in London for a whopping £ 15.5 million pounds.

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC
Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are the big headliners tonight on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention.

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC