MP Phil Brickell column - 'We live in an increasingly turbulent world'

Actually, what goes on in the world and how the UK can influence it is critical to our daily lives.

In previous columns I’ve set out my views – on the NHS, on crime, on the environment. But for this column I want to let you know more about the jobs" target="_blank">work I do on the Foreign Affairs Committee, why it matters and how it’s done.

We live in an increasingly turbulent world – whether that’s because of climate change, conflict abroad, the rise of authoritarian governments or the breakdown in the post-Second World War multilateral system.

Britain is uniquely placed to tackle many of these issues. Issues which have real-life consequences for irregular migration, the cost of living, our economy and the UK’s ability to influence neighbours and allies. And with war in Europe and conflict in the Middle East we see the actions of other states having visible impacts on our own streets.

I serve as one of only 11 MPs on the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Not all MPs are members of a select committee - formal groups of parliamentarians which scrutinise the work of a government department.

So, as a relatively new MP, it’s a real privilege to be given the opportunity to hold the government to account, to hear evidence from policy experts and to provide policy recommendations to the Foreign Office.

The Committee is made up of seven Labour MPs, two Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats. Crucially, it works across party lines to propose policy solutions to the Foreign Office on some of the most difficult issues of the day including:

· The conflict between Israel and Palestine

· Russia and Ukraine

· The UK’s reset with the European Union

· Britain’s role on the global stage – including our soft power assets such as the BBC World Service and the British Council

· How the United Nations works and the UK’s role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council

· The effectiveness of the UK’s sanctions regime – against Russia but also other state and non-state actors

What we don’t cover, but may take into account as part of our work:

· International aid - covered by the separate House of Commons International Development Committee

· Asylum and immigration – covered by the Home Affairs Committee

· Foreign direct investment into the UK – covered by the Business and Trade Committee

· UK military strength and security – looked at by the Defence Committee and Intelligence and Security Committee

We usually meet formally twice every week when Parliament is sitting –on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings. Those sessions give me and my fellow MPs the opportunity to quiz witnesses on particular topics. We typically invite academics, foreign diplomats, think tanks, MPs from other countries and government ministers to speak in order to understand the latest developments in the relevant country and what UK policy might be.

Sometimes those meetings will be private – given the confidential nature of the evidence given, or because of diplomatic sensitivities. Many of our sessions are broadcast live and you can watch them from home.

Occasionally, we will write to the Foreign Secretary or Foreign Office ministers questioning their policy objectives or asking what assurances they can provide around their work to-date.

And we also produce written reports on our enquiries as well, which are published and usually picked up by UK media.

But it’s also vital that we have a deep understanding of the issues at hand, which is why the Committee travels to countries of focus. At the start of this year I was on a delegation to Paris and Brussels to explore how the French government is tackling the rise of foreign dis- and misinformation and what we might learn from that. In Brussels we discussed the UK EU relationship, and the reset summit which was held earlier this week in London.

In addition, we meet informally with ambassadors, representatives of international charities and supranational organisations (e.g. the United Nations), MPs from other countries and foreign policy experts.

Those informal sessions provide a vital opportunity to delve into issues in further detail and to understand how our relationships with other countries can be improved – whether that’s to create more jobs at home, improving security for British tourists abroad, helping British interests in general.

The Foreign Affairs Committee is just one component part of my work as a Member of Parliament. It sits alongside being a constituency MP, a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and my involvement in a number of All Party Parliamentary Groups.

At a time when geopolitics has never been more in flux, its vital we have the very best policy to ensure a strong, safe Britain. I’m proud to play my small part in making that happen.