Foreign Office is 'set to shrink by up to a quarter'

THE Foreign Office is set to shrink by up to a quarter as ministers look to slim down the Civil Service, the department's top mandarin has told MPs.

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Sir Olly Robbins, permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that his department was expecting to lose "15% to 25%" of staff by 2029.

The department, which employs around 17,000, faces real-term cuts in its budget over the coming years following last month's spending review.