Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the foreign ministry of the British government.
Composition
The office is led by the secretary of state for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, more commonly known as the foreign secretary.
The office is managed by the permanent under secretary (PUS) of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. They are a civil servant and concurrently serve as the head of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HHDS).
History
In 1782, George III and Watson-Wentworth reformed the Northern and Southern Departments of State; they were replaced with the Home Office and Foreign Office (FO).
In 1968, the Commonwealth Office was merged into the FO to establish the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
In 2020, the FCO and the Department for International Development (DFID) were merged to establish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).