§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the grounds on which the United Kingdom breaks off diplomatic relations with other countries. [122476]
§ Mr. HainThe establishment of diplomatic relations between States takes place by mutual consent, and if either State withdraws that consent diplomatic relations are broken. There are no legal limitations on the right of a State to break diplomatic relations with another, but the action is now almost invariably taken for political reasons. A break in diplomatic relations often follows a sequence of reciprocal or retaliatory moves between two States to downgrade their relations or a collective political decision by a number of States directed against another State whose conduct is regarded as unacceptable. The reasons for the United Kingdom deciding to break off diplomatic relations in any particular instance depend very much on the circumstances of each case.