Hamish Falconer left his diplomatic career at the Foreign Office to enter politics. One of his last tasks there was to conduct negotiations to free six hostages from the Taliban. After becoming MP for Lincoln in the 2024 general election, he did not expect to return so soon to his old Foreign Office building. Just two weeks after his election win he was appointed Middle East minister, and two years on he has taken a seat in the cabinet as one of the first three MPs of his intake to do so. This time his negotiating table is with the European Union, the online Guardian reports.
An urgent call to cut short a holiday: Andy Burnham’s chief whip Annaliese Midgley is an old friend of Falconer’s. He had thought Midgley would tip him off in advance about the reshuffle, but for reasons of secrecy he was not told, so news of the promotion startled him while he was on his wedding holiday in Greece. Falconer said that although they married in June, they had thought a summer-holiday trip would be safe; but within 24 hours of the holiday starting he received an urgent call and had to rush home to attend the first cabinet meeting. On the 5 o’clock flight he was probably the only passenger travelling in a suit.
A new focus on European relations: In cabinet he will serve as minister for European relations and conduct negotiations for the next summit with the European Union. Praising former minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, Falconer said he wants to further strengthen ties with the EU — something central to the government’s cost-of-living and energy policy. His father, Charlie Falconer, was lord chancellor and justice secretary under former prime minister Tony Blair, making Hamish the second generation of the family to join the cabinet. Over the past two years he has answered a record number of urgent questions in parliament on Israel, Gaza, Iran, Sudan and the Chagos Islands.
Gaza and thoughts on the future: Speaking about the Gaza crisis, Falconer said that as the first Middle East minister he was proud to recognise the Palestinian state. He said he would never forget the children rescued from Gaza and the students who began their studies in the UK, and acknowledged that the Middle East events of the past two years had been deeply painful and that he would always carry that experience. Sitting in his constituency office in Lincoln, he said Labour was committed to working for the people in the face of the political challenge from Reform UK and the Conservatives, and that his main aim was to develop local business by easing trade with Europe.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report