Key facts
- Labour MP Hamish Falconer has been appointed as the British government’s new EU relations minister.
- Falconer takes over from Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has left the government.
- The new minister's role will be a joint position shared between the Cabinet Office and the FCDO.
- Falconer previously served as a junior Foreign Office minister responsible for the Middle East.
- A UK-EU summit, postponed due to the Prime Minister's resignation, is expected to be rescheduled.
- Discussions are ongoing regarding an agri-food agreement, youth mobility scheme, and emissions trading deal.
Labour MP Hamish Falconer has been appointed as the British government’s new EU relations minister, tasked with leading negotiations with the bloc. He succeeds Nick Thomas-Symonds, a close ally of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has moved to the backbenches. Falconer, who was first elected as the MP for Lincoln in 2024, previously served as a junior minister at the Foreign Office with responsibility for the Middle East. His new role is a joint position between the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he will attend Cabinet meetings. This move is seen by some as bringing EU relations back under the FCDO’s direct control, away from the Cabinet Office. Falconer brings a background as a diplomat to the role, which comes at a critical juncture for UK-EU discussions. A UK-EU summit, initially planned for July 22 to finalize agreements on issues such as agri-food, youth mobility, and emissions trading, was postponed following Starmer's resignation. The meeting is now expected to be rescheduled, with progressing these talks to set a new date being one of Falconer’s immediate priorities. Both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa have recently spoken with Prime Minister Starmer, agreeing to work towards a summit later in the year and emphasizing the importance of a closer UK-EU relationship. EU ambassador Pedro Serrano acknowledged Thomas-Symonds' "extraordinary work" in advancing EU-UK relations.