Foreign Office abandons Africa
By Alex Stevenson
The Foreign Office’s commitment to Africa has been called into question after it refused to commit to maintain a minister with responsibility for the continent.
Following Lord Malloch-Brown’s resignation from the government last month, his position as minister for Africa, alongside his South Asian and UN portfolios, is now vacant.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Lord Avebury said not appointing a replacement immediately left a “black hole” at the centre of the government’s foreign policy.
“The challenges facing us in Africa, from Somalia to DRC, cannot be left unattended for several weeks without jeopardising continuity. Any new minister should be picking up the threads already,” he said.
Chatham House’s Tom Cargill, deputy director of the thinktank’s Africa programme, went further.
“I think it’s crucially important that the Foreign Office has a minister who takes the lead on Africa issues,” he told politics.co.uk.
“There’s some degree of transition but I think it’s important that they very quickly now move to have someone in place.”
Mr Cargill was complimentary about the government’s wider commitment to Africa, praising it for making the continent so highly prioritised.
But he added: “That’s what makes it particularly worrying now if this gap in appointments suggests that the eyes have been taken off the ball – especially at a time in the middle of this financial crisis when there’s so many issues that need to be tackled across the continent, more than ever, [it’s important] to get someone in post and up and running.”
Decisions for appointing such ministers are ultimately Gordon Brown’s responsibility.
But Downing Street refused to comment on whether or not Gordon Brown planned on assigning the post to another minister.
“When we’re ready to make an announcement, we’ll make an announcement,” a spokesman told politics.co.uk.
This has left the Foreign Office relying on its ‘holding’ procedures as ministers scramble to cover for Lord Malloch-Brown’s absence.
“The ministerial team is ensuring that all foreign policy issues including those formerly covered by Lord Malloch-Brown are dealt with appropriately,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.
“We have a very robust duty minister system in place.”
He explained this meant that when ministers are either out of the country or during periods of recess “we ensure a minister is available at all times.”
But the spokesman added: “Obviously the foreign secretary is the man ultimately in control of all foreign policy issues.”
Gareth Thomas, as the Department for International Development’s minister, does not have the word ‘Africa’ in his job title but it is among his ministerial responsibilities.
It falls below trade, growth and investment, CDC, multilateral institutions and instruments, climate change, Europe, donor relations, conflict, global funds and debt but is above parliament.
Its inclusion in Mr Thomas’ responsibilities saves the government as a whole from not having a minister responsible for Africa for the first time since 1997.
The Department’s secretary of state, Douglas Alexander, has Africa at the top of his list.
